The main street, looking north. Slieve Gallion is in the background.
In 1609 land was leased to an English ecclesiastical lawyer, Dr Cooke, who fulfilled the covenants entered in the lease by building houses on the land. In 1628, King Charles I granted Letters Patent to Cooke permitting the holding of a twice-weekly market for livestock and flaxen goods.[5]
In 1641, the native Irish revolted against the Planters in a bloody rebellion and the town was destroyed.[5] The rebellion had a devastating effect on the town and development ceased for nearly a century. Over the succeeding years, the lands around Cookstown were progressively bought up by William Stewart of Killymoon until in 1671 all of Dr Cooke's lands were in the hands of the Stewart family. William Stewart and later his son James set out plans for the town soon after this. Inspired by the Wide Streets Commission's work in Dublin, they planned a new town to be built along a tree lined boulevard which was to be 135 feet (41 m) wide.[5]
In 1802, Colonel William Stewart (James Stewart's unmarried son) approached the London architect, John Nash, and requested that he visit the area to rebuild Killymoon Castle.[6] Nash also designed the Rectory at Lissan for the Rev John Molesworth Staples in 1807.[7]
Prominent developments in the second half of the 19th century included J.J. McCarthy's Church of the Holy Trinity on Chapel Street.[9]
On 17 June 1920, during the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) raided the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) barracks in Cookstown,[10] with help from four sympathetic RIC officers. In a brief firefight, IRA member Patrick Loughran was killed. He was the first IRA man killed on active service in what became Northern Ireland.[11][12]
Cookstown Town Hall was designed by the town surveyor, Charles Geoffrey Birtwell, and built on the Burn Road by James Corrigan of Pomeroy: it was officially opened on 27 May 1953.[13]
During the Troubles, Cookstown suffered from several bomb attacks: on 2 November 1990 an off duty soldier from the Ulster Defence Regiment was killed by a car bomb.[14]
Cookstown Town Hall was demolished in 1998[15] and the Burnavon Arts and Cultural Centre opened on the site in 2000.[16]
Places of interest
Ardboe High Cross and Abbey (Seanchrois Ard Bó agus Ministir Naomh Colmán), one of the best examples of a 9th/10th century High cross in Ireland, is 10 mi (16 km) from Cookstown. It forms the only remaining part of an early monastery on the site.[17]
The Donaghrisk walled cemetery to the southwest of (and clearly visible from) the fort is the resting place of the O'Hagans, the chief justices of Tyrone (and as such, they presided over the inauguration ceremonies of the O'Neills).[20]
Lissan House lies on the outskirts of Cookstown. It is a large structure which was the home of the Staples family for 350 years.[21]
Killymoon Castle is about 1 mi (1.6 km) south east of Cookstown. This structure is regarded as one of Cookstown's finest pieces of architectural heritage.[citation needed] It was built in just over a year at a cost of £80,000 and was Nash's first Irish commission.[22]
Gortalowry House
Drum Manor, approximately 5 mi (8 km) from the town. Alexander Richardson, a burgess from Edinburgh, Scotland, bought the estate of Craigbalk in 1617 and built Drum Manor, which was also known Manor Richardson.[23] Alexander's son Sir William Richardson left it to his second son, Alexander, from which the Richardsons of Drum descend.[23] Sir William's third son, William, who inherited lands near Augher, obtained a lease for lands in the townland of Tullyreavy on the Drum Manor estate, where he built a house by the lake known as Oaklands.[23]
Derryloran Old Cemetery[25] is a historic site of interest, located on the Sandholes Road on the outskirts of the town, which features an old graveyard and churchyard dating back to the 17th Century.
Climate
Climate data for Lough Fea, Elevation: 225 m (738 ft), 1991–2020 normals
The population of the townland increased overall during the 19th century:[32][33]
Year
1841
1851
1861
1871
1881
1891
Population
27
-
16
123
119
93
Houses
5
1
4
23
28
22
Sport
Motorcycling
The town plays host to the Cookstown 100 Road Races, the longest running motorcycle road race in Ireland.[34] Held in April of each year the races are seen as the curtain raiser to the Irish National Road Racing Championship.[35]
56.21% (7,053) were from a Catholic background, and 34.34% (4,308) were from a Protestant or other Christian background, 1.12% were from other religious backgrounds and 8.33% (1,045) had no religious background.[50]
31.68% indicated they had a British national identity,[45] 31.29% had an Irish national identity,[46] and 28.58% had a Northern Irish national identity.[47] (respondents could select more than one national identity).
On census day (27 March 2011) there were 11,599 people living in Cookstown.[53] Of these:
98% were from the white ethnic group
56% were from a Catholic background, and 39% were from a Protestant or other Christian background
40% indicated that they had a British national identity, 30% had a Northern Irish national identity, and 28% had an Irish national identity (respondents could choose more than one)
2001 Census
On census day (29 April 2001) there were 10,646 people living in Cookstown. Of these:
26.0% were aged under 16 years and 15.6% were aged 60 and over
49.7% of the population were male and 50.3% were female
52.8% were from a Catholic background and 45.1% were from a Protestant background
The first community hub for primary care in the province is to be established in the town, backed by four local GP practices and the health board. It is to incorporate scanning facilities, a minor surgery suite, a pharmacy, out-of-hours consultations and community healthcare partnerships, with the possibility of developing supported living accommodation for older people.[59]
