Coagh

Coagh (/ˈkoʊk/, from Irish: An Cuach, meaning "the hollow"[1]) is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, five miles (8 km) east of Cookstown. Part of the village also extends into County Londonderry. It had a population of 545 people in the 2001 Census. It owes its existence to George Butle Conyngham of Springhill, and was founded in 1728 when King George II of Great Britain granted Conyngham a market charter allowing the village to host four fairs yearly.[2] It is situated within Mid-Ulster District.

Coagh

Looking towards the village, from the County Londonderry side
Coagh
Location within Northern Ireland
Population545 (2001 Census)
Irish grid referenceH8978
• Belfast45 miles
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCOOKSTOWN
MAGHERAFELT
Postcode districtBT80
BT45
Dialling code028
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
The bridge in Coagh which crosses the Ballinderry river; on the left is County Londonderry; on the right is County Tyrone

The village nestles among gentle, low-lying land between the Sperrins and Lough Neagh. The main feature of the village is Hanover Square, which was named after the reigning Hanoverian George II by Conyngham. The village has been an ancient settlement for several thousand years; overlooking Coagh is Tamlaght Stone, a Mesolithic dolmen erected c. 4500 BCE.

History

The Troubles
See also: Coagh ambush

See The Troubles in Coagh, which includes a list of incidents in Coagh during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities. On 3 June 1991, Provisional IRA members Lawrence McNally (38), Peter Ryan (37) and Tony Doris (21) were killed in an ambush by an SAS unit. The British Army stated that the PIRA members had been intercepted on their way to an attack. Over 200 rounds were fired at the car.[3]

Education

Coagh has its own primary school, Coagh Primary School, a feeder school for many local schools including Cookstown High School.

Sport

Amenities

Coagh has a surgery which serves local areas, such as Ardboe, Ballinderry, Moortown, Drummullan, The Loup and Moneymore.

Demography

19th century population

The population of the village increased slightly overall during the 19th century:[4][5]

Year184118511861187118811891
Population388385403526400394
Houses9082861159396

21st century population

Coagh is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 500 and 1,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 545 people living in Coagh. Of these:

  • 20.9% were aged under 16 and 20.4% were aged 60 and over
  • 48.3% of the population were male and 51.7% were female
  • 26.4% were from a Catholic background and 72.8% were from a Protestant background
  • 2.3% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

Coagh Townland

The townland is situated in the historic barony of Dungannon Upper and the civil parish of Tamlaght and covers an area of 616 acres.[6]

The population of the townland declined during the 19th century:[4][5]

Year184118511861187118811891
Population207160136160115100
Houses373229322822

In 1891, the town of Coagh, standing in the townlands of Coagh and Urbal, covered an estimated area of 13 acres.[4]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Coagh". Place Names NI. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  2. "Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) - nidirect" (PDF). proni.gov.uk. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  3. "BBC ON THIS DAY | 3 |1991: IRA volunteers shot dead by British Army". BBC News. 3 June 1991.
  4. "Census of Ireland 1851". Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  5. "Census of Ireland 1891". Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  6. "Townlands of County Tyrone". IreAtlas Townland Database. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
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