County in Northern Ireland
County Tyrone
A Tyrone-born boy named Thomas Mellon left Omagh in 1818 and founded a US banking dynasty, while the county's own Red Hand became a sporting legend.
Key information
- County
- County Tyrone (Irish: Tír Eoghain, 'land of Eoghan')
- Nation
- Northern Ireland
- Area
- About 3,150 sq km, the largest county in Northern Ireland
- Known for
- The Sperrin Mountains, Beaghmore Stone Circles, the Ulster American Folk Park, Cookstown sausages and Gaelic football
- What locals are called
- Tyrone people (sometimes Tyronians)
- Famous people
- Thomas Mellon, Brian Friel, Darren Clarke, Peter Canavan
About County Tyrone
The county that gave America a banking dynasty
Head a few miles outside Omagh and you reach the Ulster American Folk Park, built around the story of Tyrone emigrants. Its best-known son is Thomas Mellon, born near Omagh, who sailed to America in 1818 as a child. His descendants, including his son Andrew Mellon, built one of the great fortunes of the United States. Tyrone's American links run deep. Strabane produced John Dunlap, the printer who ran off the first copies of the Declaration of Independence. President Woodrow Wilson's grandfather James Wilson left Strabane for America as a printer. Ulysses S. Grant's mother's family came from near Ballygawley. In Strabane you can still see Gray's Printing Press, a working reminder of the town's printing tradition.
Why a red hand sits on every Tyrone shirt
The Red Hand is Ulster's most famous symbol. The legend says two rival chieftains raced by boat to claim the province. One of them, seeing he was losing, cut off his own hand and hurled it onto the shore to touch land first. Tyrone wears it with pride, and the county's Gaelic footballers are simply 'the Red Hands'. They won their first All-Ireland senior title in 2003, beating fellow Ulster side Armagh in the final. More followed in 2005, 2008 and 2021. Peter Canavan, the captain who lifted the cup in 2003, remains the county's football hero. Mickey Harte, the manager behind the three early titles, became one of the best-known figures in Irish sport.
Land of the O'Neills
The Irish name Tír Eoghain commemorates Eoghan, a son of the legendary high king Niall of the Nine Hostages. His descendants, the O'Neills, ruled the region for centuries. Their kings were inaugurated at Tullyhogue Fort near Cookstown, sitting on a stone chair, according to tradition. Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, led the Nine Years' War against Elizabeth I's armies, and in 1607 he left Ireland in the Flight of the Earls. The Plantation of Ulster soon redrew the map with new settlers, towns and estates. Dungannon, once the O'Neill stronghold, later hosted the Dungannon Convention of 1782, where Irish Volunteers demanded legislative independence for Ireland's parliament.
Stones older than the pyramids' neighbours
On the edge of the Sperrins near Cookstown, the Beaghmore Stone Circles look like a puzzle laid out on the bog. There are seven circles, along with rows of stones and cairns, all dating to the Bronze Age. Farmers cutting peat uncovered them in the 1930s. The Sperrin Mountains fill much of the north of the county, and Sawel Mountain, at 678 metres, is the highest point in the range. Out at Davagh the skies are dark enough to have earned Dark Sky Park status, a fine spot for stargazing. On the Cookstown side, Wellbrook Beetling Mill recalls the days when Tyrone's linen was hammered to a shine by water-powered machinery.
Sausages, crystal and the long main street
Cookstown is famous for its sausages, a staple of the Ulster fry alongside soda bread, potato bread and a pot of strong tea. The town is also known for its very long, wide main street, laid out in a straight line in the 18th century. Dungannon's Tyrone Crystal began in 1971 and has been a popular choice for trophies and wedding gifts. Tyrone's other famous names include the playwright Brian Friel, born near Omagh, whose play Translations is among the best-known Irish dramas of the 20th century, and golfer Darren Clarke from Dungannon, who won the Open Championship in 2011.