More about Dungannon

Dungannon's fortunes have been closely tied with that of the O'Neill dynasty who ruled most of Ulster until the seventeenth century and were the most powerful Gaelic family. Dungannon was the clan's main stronghold which made it by default the most important settlement in Gaelic Ireland. A rath to the north of the town centre was the traditional site of inauguration of 'The O'Neill', the location of one of the several castles that were built in the town during their reign.

The last castle was located at what is today known as Castle Hill; the location was ideal for a fort as it was one of the highest points in Tyrone, and dominated the surrounding countryside with the ability to see seven counties depending on the weather. Its location ultimately led to the British Army taking over the site for a security installation during The Troubles, only being returned to the local council in August 2007. This castle was burned in 1602 by Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone as the English forces closed in on the Gaelic Lords towards the end of the Nine Years War. In 1607, ninety-nine Irish chieftains and their followers, including Hugh O’Neill, set sail from Rathmullan, Co. Donegal bound for the continent. What followed became known as the Plantation of Ulster and the town and its castle were granted to Sir Arthur Chichester, the architect of the plantation.

The castle was partially excavated in October 2007, by the Channel 4 show 'Time Team', uncovering part of the moate and walls of the castle. After the O'Neills Dungannon remained the county seat of County Tyrone after the plantation, but High Court Judges who travelled to Dungannon to the courthouse were attacked in the village of Cappagh and the county town was then moved to Omagh. In 1973 the town became the seat of the new District of Dungannon. In 1782, the town was the location where the independence of the Irish Parliament was declared by members of the Protestant Ascendancy who controlled the parliament at the time. 

Dungannon is classified as a Medium Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 10,000 and 18,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 11,139 people living in Dungannon. Of these: a number of migrant workers, especially Portuguese, have settled in the town mainly working in the food processing industry. As of 2004, there were around 1200 Portuguese living in the town.

An interesting feature of the town is the former Police barracks at the top right hand corner of the market square which is quite unlike any other barracks of a similar vintage in Ireland. A popular but apocryphal story relates that the unusual design of this building is due to a mix up with the plans in Dublin which meant Dungannon got a station designed for the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan and they got a standard Irish barracks, complete with a traditional Irish fireplace.

The once thriving linen industry has largely been replaced by glass-blowing, and the Tyrone Crystal factory is a major visitor attraction in Northern Ireland. Dungannon also has brick making industry using Coalisland fireclay.

Dungannon has large numbers of migrant workers employed locally in factories including Moy Park and Dungannon Meats. The majority of these workers come from Portuguese backgrounds, East Timor, Brazil, Poland and Lithuania.

Dungannon was served by four different rail systems which stretched throughout Northern Ireland, into Derry, Co. Donegal and deep into southern Ireland. At the turn of the last century, Clones was one of the major junctions from Derry, Omagh, and Belfast to north Leinster, in particular, the major market towns of Athlone, Cavan, and Mullingar via the Inney junction. This back-bone rail infrastructure was administered by Midland Great Western Railway which also linked to other major centres namely, Sligo, Tullamore, via Clara, other destinations such as Dublin, Limerick, and other market centres of the south coast.

There is a town bus service that runs daily, and a night bus service at weekends. Both services serve the town's suburbs. Dungannon is the birthplace of professional golfer Darren Clarke, motorcycle racer Ryan Farquhar, artist Victor Sloan, and TV presenters Adrian Logan and Joanne Salley. Dungannon is also the birthplace of actor Birdy Sweeney, who appeared in numerous television programmes and motion pictures. .

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