Donemana or Dunnamanagh (named after the townland of Dunnamanagh, from Irish: Dún na Manach meaning "stronghold of the monks")[1][2] is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is 11 kilometres north-east of Strabane, on the banks of the Burn Dennett and at the foothills of the Sperrins. It is the largest of the thirteen villages in the Strabane District Council area and had a population of 593 in the 2001 Census.
Other anglicised spellings of its name include Dun[n]amana[gh] and Don[n]amana[gh].
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The village was established in the early 17th century as part of the Plantation of Ulster, instigated by James I in 1609. Land in the area was granted to John Drummond who established the village; building a bawn (an enclosed, fortified farmyard, designed as a place of refuge for settlers in case of attack), 10 wicker-work houses, and a watermill for grinding corn.
Donemana railway station opened on 6 August 1900 but was shut on 1 January 1955.[3]
It has two primary schools, Donemana County Primary School and St. Patrick's Primary School. Local children generally attend secondary school in Strabane or Derry.
Today the village is renowned throughout Ireland for its thriving and highly successful cricket team, which was established in 1888. Donemana under 15s and 14s cricket teams are currently the All-Ireland Champions. The senior team lost out on winning the All-Ireland when North County CC defeated them in the final.
Football is also popular in the area. Clann na nGael is the local GAA club.
Notable people who were born or have lived in Donemana include:
Donemana is classified as a small village or hamlet by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 500 and 1,000). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 593 people living in Donemana. Of these:
For more details see: Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service.