| Fivemiletown | |
| Irish: Baile na Lorgan | |
The Catholic church |
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Fivemiletown shown within Northern Ireland |
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| Population | 1,128 (2009 estimate) |
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| Irish grid reference | H445478 |
| - Belfast | 64 miles (103 km) |
| District | Dungannon and South Tyrone |
| County | County Tyrone |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | FIVEMILETOWN |
| Postcode district | BT75 |
| Dialling code | 028 |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | Fermanagh and South Tyrone |
| NI Assembly | Fermanagh and South Tyrone |
| List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Tyrone | |
Fivemiletown is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is 16 miles (26 km) east of Enniskillen and 26 miles (43 km) west-south-west of Dungannon, on the A4 Enniskillen-to-Dungannon road. Its population as of 2009 is estimated to be 1,128. The village is most famous for its creamery, which was begun as a cooperative in 1898 by Hugh de Fellonburg Montgomery. Fivemiletown Creamery originally made butter and milk, but now exports speciality cheeses across Europe and North America.[1]
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Fivemiletown's English language name comes from its location five Irish miles (1 Irish mile = 1.27 statute miles = 2044 m) from its nearest neighbours: Clogher, Brookeborough and Tempo.
Fivemiletown is within the townland of the same name, which was historically known as Ballylurgan[2] (from Irish: Baile na Lorgan meaning "settlement of the long ridge").
The Clogher Valley Railway ran from Tynan, County Armagh, to Maguiresbridge, County Fermanagh, with Fivemiletown being one of its main stations. The old station house is still one of the landmarks in the village. The trains stopped at the Buttermarket on Main Street and the creamery to be loaded or unloaded with goods.
After the Second World War, the growth of road transport made railways almost redundant and when the Northern Ireland Government learned that the Clogher Valley Railway had operated as a loss for 27 years because of growing road transport, it recommended the shutting of the line. The last train ran on the last day of 1941, bringing to an end one of Fivemiletown’s most characteristic features. It’s said that a wake lasted for three days and three nights to mark the end of a narrow gauge in the area.
Incidents in Fivemiletown during the Troubles resulting in two or more deaths:
1993
Halfway between Fivemiletown and Fintona 9 miles (14 km) northwest, lies Murley Mountain. This mountain rises to a peak of 312 metres (1,024 ft) above sea level and marks the western edge of the Clogher Valley. On the summit is the Lendrums Bridge wind farm, one of the biggest in Ireland, with 20 wind turbines. Another ten are planned for the neighbouring Hunter's Hill. Murley Mountain's location is lonely and exposed, especially to prevailing southwesterly winds. This makes it a prime site for wind-generated power.
The River Blackwater runs through counties Tyrone and Armagh, as well as County Monaghan. The source of the Blackwater is to the north of Fivemiletown. There are also several small lakes around the village which draw many anglers.
The biggest of these settlements, Fivemiletown, will be bypassed. The village currently has a one-way system to cope with the heavy traffic on the narrow main street, but this stalls long-distance traffic and is a big inconvenience to residents of the village.
The new road will be built to 2+1 standard, meaning that there will be one lane in one direction, with two in the opposite direction to permit overtaking. On longer routes, such as this one, the overtaking lane usually alternates giving an overtaking opportunity to traffic in each direction. The scheme will compliment a 2+1 scheme completed on the A4 outside Fivemiletown in 2004.[4]
Fivemiletown is classified as a village by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 1,000 and 2,250 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 1,108 people living in Fivemiletown. Of these:
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service