| Seskinore | |
| Irish: Seisceann Odhar | |
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Seskinore
Seskinore shown within Northern Ireland |
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| Population | 162 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| Irish grid reference | H483635 |
| - Belfast | 85 km (53 mi) |
| District | Omagh |
| County | County Tyrone |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | OMAGH |
| Postcode district | BT78 |
| Dialling code | 028, +44 28 |
| EU Parliament | Northern Ireland |
| UK Parliament | West Tyrone |
| NI Assembly | West Tyrone |
| List of places: UK • Northern Ireland • Tyrone | |
Seskinore or Seskanore (from Irish: Seisceann Odhar, meaning "brownish marsh/bog")[1][2] is a small village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) northeast of Fintona and 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) southeast of Omagh.[3] The village had a population of 162 in the 2001 Census.
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The name Seskinore is derived from the Irish Seisceann Odhar, which means "brownish marsh/bog", and the area to the north on the way to Omagh is characterised by lowland raised bog. Pike's Province of Ulster (1909) described the area thus: "The country is undulating with bogs in parts which make hunting difficult".[4]
Seskinore Forest, 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the village, is a mixed broadleaf and coniferous woodland which dates from at least 1833.[5]
Little is known about the origins of the village but there is proof that it existed in the early part of the 17th century when at least two of its inhabitants were listed as paying Hearth Tax.[6]
Following the marriage of Mary Perry to Alexander McClintock in 1781, the village became the family seat of the McClintock family, who had settled in Ulster in 1597 from Argyll, Scotland. The McClintock family were enthusiastic huntsmen and in 1860 they established the "Tyrone Hunt", which was renamed the "Seskinore Hunt" in 1886.[7]
The village has one primary school, McClintock Primary School, which is at the south end of the Main Street on land donated by Lt. Col. John Knox McClintock. Building of the school began in 1900 and it opened in 1902. It was originally known as Seskinore No.2 National School as there was also at one time a Chapel School.[8]
Even though it is a small village, Seskinore has three churches: