Coalisland

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Coalisland
Oileán a'Ghuail

Location

WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
54.542° N 6.694° W

Statistics

Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough

Population (2001)

4,917

Coalisland (Oileán a'Ghuail in Irish) is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 4,917 people (in the 2001 Census). As its name suggests, it was a centre for coal mining.

1 People
2 Transport
3 Education
4 History
- 4.1 Civil Rights Movement
- 4.2 The Troubles
5 2001 Census Information
6 References
7 See also

[edit] People

Coalisland was the birthplace of former Snooker World Champion Dennis Taylor. Thanks to the glorious talents of Keelen Dibs Donnelly who despite his many disabilities led Coalisland Fainna to minor League and Championship double. Home of poker legends Sean and Gareth Daly. The comedian Peter Kay has also links to Coalisland as his mother was born in the town.

[edit] Transport

The town was served by a canal (the Coalisland Canal or Tyrone Navigation), although this is now derelict and has been since 1954. A campaign for its restoration is underway. A separate navigation Dukart's Canal ran from the town to nearby coalpits. There was also the the Coalisland Railway Station which was located on the outskirts of the town on the Derry Road, the railway was the main competitor with the Canal and the use of the Railway saw the Canal go into a slow decline and lead it to be closed. The Railway itself also suffered the same fate with the arrival of lorries and vans. The Coalisland Railway closed in Feburary 1965, nothing remains of the Railway except for the Derry Road Bridge with 3 arches which can be seen from the Brackaville Road and a old goods shed and a badly overgrown platform.

[edit] Education

Gaelscoil Ui Neill
Primate Dixon Primary School
St. John's Primary School
St Joseph's High School

[edit] History

[edit] Civil Rights Movement

The first civil rights march in Northern Ireland was held on 24 August 1968 between Coalisland and Dungannon.

[edit] The Troubles

For more information see The Troubles in Coalisland, which includes a list of incidents in Coalisland during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.

[edit] 2001 Census Information

Coalisland is classified by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) as a Small Town (ie with population between 4,500 and 10,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 4,917 people living in Coalisland. Of these:

29.6% were aged under 16 years and 12.4% were aged 60 and over
48.2% of the population were male and 51.8% were female
95.8% were from a Catholic background and 3.8% were from a Protestant background
4.6% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service