Dungannon
| |
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St Patrick's Roman Catholic church | |
Dungannon Coat of Arms | |
Location within Northern Ireland | |
Population | 16,282 (2021 Census) |
Irish grid reference | H7962 |
• Belfast | 40 miles (64 km) |
District | |
County | |
Country | Northern Ireland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | DUNGANNON |
Postcode district | BT70, BT71 |
Dialling code | 028 |
Police | Northern Ireland |
Fire | Northern Ireland |
Ambulance | Northern Ireland |
UK Parliament | |
NI Assembly | |
Dungannon (from Irish Dún Geanainn, meaning 'Geanann's fort', pronounced [d̪ˠuːn̪ˠ ˈɟan̪ˠən̪ˠ])[1] is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 16,282 at the 2021 Census.[2] The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council had its headquarters in the town, though since 2015 the area has been covered by Mid-Ulster District Council.
For centuries, it was the 'capital' of the O'Neill dynasty of Tír Eoghain, who dominated most of Ulster and built a castle on the hill. After the O'Neills' defeat in the Nine Years' War, the English founded a plantation town on the site, which grew into what is now Dungannon. Dungannon has won Ulster in Bloom's Best Kept Town Award five times. It currently has the highest percentage of immigrants of any town in Northern Ireland.