Coalisland

Coalisland
Scots: Collislann[1]
Irish: Oileán an Ghuail

View from the north of the town
 Coalisland shown within Northern Ireland
Population 4,917 (2001 Census)
Irish grid referenceH8366
    Belfast  35 miles (56 km) 
DistrictMid-Ulster
CountyCounty Tyrone
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town DUNGANNON
Postcode district BT71
Dialling code 028
EU Parliament Northern Ireland
UK ParliamentMid Ulster
NI AssemblyMid Ulster
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Tyrone

Coordinates: 54°32′31″N 6°41′38″W / 54.542°N 6.694°W / 54.542; -6.694

Coalisland is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 4,917 in 2001. Four miles from Lough Neagh, it was formerly a centre for coal mining.

History

On 24 August 1968, the Campaign for Social Justice (CSJ), the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), and other groups, held the first civil rights march in Northern Ireland, from Coalisland to Dungannon. The rally was officially banned, but took place and passed off without incident. The publicity surrounding the march encouraged other protesting groups to form branches of the NICRA.[2]

The Troubles

From 1969 to 2001, a total of 20 people were shot in or near Coalisland during the Troubles. The British Army killed a total of eight people, seven of whom were Provisional Irish Republican Army members and one a Catholic civilian,[3] and the IRA in turn killed five British soldiers, three Royal Ulster Constabulary policemen, one ex-Ulster Defence Regiment soldier, and two Catholic civilians, all in separate incidents. The Ulster Volunteer Force was responsible for the murder of a Catholic civilian in the nearby town of Aughamullan.[4]

Transport

Canal

The town was served by a canal (the Coalisland Canal or Tyrone Navigation), although this is now derelict. A campaign for its restoration is underway.

Rail

Coalisland railway station was opened on 28 July 1897, closed for passenger traffic on 16 January 1956 and for goods traffic on 5 October 1959, finally closing altogether on 1 April 1965. There are no remains of the railway other than the bridge on the Derry Road and an old goods shed and grown over platforms.[5]

Bus

Daily bus services operated by Ulsterbus go through the town every 15–60 minutes:

80 DungannonCookstown via Coalisland

80A Dungannon–Coalisland

80B Dungannon–Coalisland via Newmills

80C DungannonKillen

80D Stewartsown Carpark via Brocagh

Education

Sport

Demography

19th century population

The population of the village increased during the 19th century:[6][7][8][9]

Year 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891
Population 451 627 661 598 677 785
Houses 103 120 143 135 159 191

21st century population

Coalisland is classified by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) as a small town (i.e. 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:

People

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coalisland.
  1. Ulster-Scots guide to Moira Station – Department of the Environment
  2. "A Chronology of the Conflict - 1968". Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN). Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  3. "Relatives for Justice".
  4. "CAIN (Conflict Archive on the Internet) - List of Deaths".
  5. "Coalisland station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  6. "Census of Ireland 1851". Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  7. "Census of Ireland 1851". Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  8. "Census of Ireland 1891". Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  9. "Census of Ireland 1891". Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
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