Ireland Travel Search: Ulster: County Tyrone Tourism Information Directory for Visitors to Ireland


	Home \| Team \| Contact Us \| Maps \| Visas & Immigration \| Specials \| Add Your Listing \| UK Time

	UK & IRELAND MAPS
Search Travel Services
	ACCOMMODATION
	MEETINGS/CONFERENCES
	THEATRE BOOKINGS
	TRANSPORT
	TUBE MAP
	TOURS
	Custom Itineraries
	UK Information Links
	UK Information Guides
Search Special Travel
	Myths, Magic & Legends
	Battlefields Remembered
Search Destinations
	ENGLAND
	LONDON
	LONDON 2012 GAMES
	IRELAND
	SCOTLAND
	WALES
	CHANNEL ISLANDS
	ISLE OF MAN
	PARIS
Odds n' Ends..!
	American English!
	Famous People & Places
Administration
	ABOUT US
	Terms & Conditions
	Secure Payment Options
	Privacy Statement
	Currency Converter

Ireland > Ulster > County Tyrone

County Tyrone is the ancient heart and soul of Ulster. Although the largest county in Northern Ireland and a part of the UK, it is the most sparsely populated county and to a great extent the least visited of all of the six Northern Ireland counties of Ulster.

Its name is well known around the world, and immortalised in many of the sad songs and legends of Ireland. Its geography is varied, with the magnificent wild Sperrin Mountains in the northeast, and bordering Lough Neagh on its eastern border, with a mix of well-cultivated farmlands with neat whitewashed farmhouses with their colourful doorways, and in the southeast, large tracts of original wooded countryside with silent untouched glens.

The linen industry still remains important here although it has been overtaken by modern farming. The area is well known for its inhabitant's gift with music and language, with writers and poets such as William Carelton, Brian Friel, John Montague and Flann O'Brien hailing from this area.

Click on the headings to find out more:

Omagh is the major town in County Tyrone and is separated from nearby Cookstown by the Black Bog. Handicrafts here are mainly turf related and linen. It's a good spot also for fishing and renown for its music, with the Omagh "Feis" held in May ever year with a great lineup of Irish music and dancing.

The Dromore Mound, a few hundred yards from town centre, are the site of the remains of an ancient Norman Motte & Bailey, among the finest in Ireland, and protected by the Historic Monuments Branch of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland.

Sadly, the town of Omagh is most famous as the location of the single most horrific act of violence in the Troubles, with 29 men, women and children killed by a car bomb on 15th August 1998. A splinter terrorist group (The New IRA) claimed responsibility. A small memorial garden is located near the scene and if visiting Omagh take the time to pay your respects.

Not far from the town, the Tyrone Crystal Factory turns out superb crystal ware a bit cheaper than the Waterford variety because it's less known.

One of its top attractions in County Tyrone is the Ulster-American Folk Park, dedicated to the thousands of Ulster people who set out for America in the 18th and 19th centuries. It takes at least half a day to see - (the folk park, not America!). An outdoor museum there recreates many streets and buildings associated with the great emigration. Local craftsmen and craftswomen in period costume will show you their wares and tell you their stories.

The wild and untouched Sperrin Mountains in the north east of the county are a naturalist's delight with their pristine bogs and heather, and great for walking and a popular place for fishing. The mountains also are a place of quiet solitude to visit the ruins of the ancient dolmens, standing stones, portal tombs and cairns and ancient crosses and forts that are in the area.

Gortin Glen Forest Park offers some great walks including the Pollan Burn with its Sitka Spruce trees, and includes a section of the scenic Ulster Way. The lovely Pomeroy Forest Nature Reserve and the Boorin National Nature Reserve are also close by with their abundance of animal life, including wild duck, red grouse, hares and badgers. Another smaller forest park is at Drum Manor close to Cookstown. Davagh Forest with its population of wild Sika deer and Seskinore are also worth visiting to experience the peace and tranquillity of these reserves as well as their spectacular wilderness scenery.

For one of the most spectacular scenic drives in Ireland, the Glenelly Valley is hard to beat, with Baronscourt, close by to Strabane, providing another alternative spectacular scenic route.

From early pagan times the famous Beaghmore Stone Circles, reflecting the ritual and spiritual life of the early Bronze Age are worth visiting. Also Dun Ruadh Cairn & Henge at Creggan are the site of an earlier Neolithic settlement overshadowed by a large standing stone.

The Ardboe High Cross (its pronounced arboe) stands on the shore of Lough Neagh about 10km from Cookstown. The cross dates from the 10th century and has Old Testament scenes engraved on one side and New Testament scenes on the other.

The town of Dungannon was once the seat of the powerful O'Neill clan, founder of the Ulster province. In 1602, the O'Neill's burned down the town and its castle to prevent them falling into the hands of the English, which gives a good indication of the depth of feeling that the Irish had for the English.





Send this page to a friend Add page to favourites

VIEW AREA MAP

DOWNLOAD OLD MAP

VISITOR INFORMATION

GALLERY