Cookstown, United Kingdom
Cookstown is a town of 11,081 people in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
Why visit Cookstown
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 2 parks and trails, 16 places to eat, 3 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Ritz Multiplex, Killymoon Castle, Tullyhogue Fort and Killymoon Golf Club.
Weather in Cookstown
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Cookstown
Cookstown is a market town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth-largest town in the county, with a population of 12,546 in the 2021 census. It, along with Magherafelt and Dungannon, is one of the main towns in the local government district of Mid Ulster. It was founded in the early 17th century by English colonist and ecclesiastical lawyer, Dr.
From the Wikipedia article Cookstown (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Cookstown on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do3
Museums and landmarks5
Cookstown Superintendent Registrars District
Monument and historic site · 0.5 mi
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes16
McDonald's
Fast food · Burger · 0.6 mi
Sweep Road, Cookstown
Mo 07:00-24:00; Tu-We 07:00-23:00; Th-Fr 07:00-24:00; Sa-Su 00:00-24:00
4 more on the map.
History
The town was founded in the early 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster. In 1609, land confiscated from the native Irish was leased to English colonist and ecclesiastical lawyer Allan Cooke. He fulfilled the covenants entered in the lease by building houses in the townland of Corcrigagh or Corchrichy, from Irish a' Corr Críochach or an Chorr Chríochach, "the boundary hill". In 1628, Charles I granted Letters Patent to Cooke permitting the holding of a twice-weekly market for livestock and flaxen goods.
In the Irish rebellion of 1641, the native Irish revolted against the colonists in a bloody rebellion and the town was destroyed. 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.
Read more of the history
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. Nash also designed the Rectory at Lissan for the Rev John Molesworth Staples in 1807.
With the establishment of Gunning's Linen Weaving Mill, with over 300 looms, Cookstown developed in the 19th century as the local centre of the linen trade. Two railways established terminus railway stations at Cookstown - the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (1856-1955) and the Great Northern Railway (1879-1959).
Prominent developments in the second half of the 19th century included J.J. McCarthy's Church of the Holy Trinity on Chapel Street.
On 17 June 1920, during the Irish War of Independence, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) raided the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) barracks in Cookstown, 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.
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.
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.
Cookstown Town Hall was demolished in 1998 and the Burnavon Arts and Cultural Centre opened on the site in 2000.
On 17 March 2019, three teenagers were killed in a crowd crush outside the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown during a St Patrick's Day disco.
From the History section of Cookstown on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Cookstown
Education
Secondary schools serving the area include Cookstown High School and Holy Trinity College, Cookstown.
At third level, the Loughry Campus of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise is 2 mi (3.2 km) south of Cookstown. South West College (a technical college) is also in the area.
From the Wikipedia article Cookstown, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Cookstown
Typhoid Maryinfected houseworker in New York CityPhoto: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
Stuart DallasNorthern Irish association football playerPhoto: Jrppezza, CC BY-SA 4.0
Bernadette Devlin McAliskeyIrish socialist and republican political activistPhoto: francis mckee, CC BY 2.0
Oliver SheppardIrish artist (1865–1941)Photo: jenniferboyer, CC BY 2.0
Jacqueline BurnsNorthern Irish association football playerPhoto: Frank Haug, CC BY 3.0
Katherine DevlinactressPhoto: JaceMerlyn, CC BY-SA 4.0
Jimmy CricketNorthern Irish comedian (1945–2026)Photo: Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0
Roy KnightCanadian politicianPhoto: Credit: Arthur Roy / Library and..., Public domain
Rhona AdairAmateur golferPhoto: George W. Beldam, Public domain
Brian NugentCycling coachPhoto: Nicola, CC BY-SA 4.0- Aaron HughesNorthern Irish footballer (born 1979)
- Kenny AchesonBritish racing driver
Born in Cookstown, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay3
Churches and places of worship8
Cookstown Free Presbyterian Church
Church · Presbyterian · 1.1 mi
Sandholes Road, Cookstown
Independent Methodist Church
Church · Methodist · 0.6 mi
Westland Road, Cookstown
Shopping7
Gas and EV charging9
Schools, colleges and libraries8
Healthcare4
Map of Cookstown
65 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Belfast International Airport (BFS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 21 miles away.
- Dungannon 10 mi south, about 16 min by car
- Portadown 19 mi southeast, about 31 min by car
- Omagh 22 mi west, about 36 min by car
- Limavady 29 mi north, about 47 min by car
- Lisburn 30 mi east, about 48 min by car
- Strabane 31 mi northwest, about 51 min by car
- Belfast 33 mi east, about 53 min by car
- Derry 33 mi northwest, about 53 min by car
- Newtownabbey 33 mi east, about 54 min by car
- Newry 36 mi southeast, about 58 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Cookstown
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Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Cookstown looking north, Linda Bailey, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Street-level photo, debigc, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, debigc, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, debigc, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, debigc, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, debigc, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, debigc, CC BY-SA 4.0
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