Castlederg

Castlederg
Irish: Caisleán na Deirge
Castlederg  Castlederg shown within Northern Ireland
Population	2,935 (2008 estimate)
Irish grid reference	H262845
- Belfast	85 miles
District	Strabane
County	County Tyrone
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CASTLEDERG
Postcode district	BT81
Dialling code	028, +44 28
EU Parliament	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	West Tyrone
NI Assembly	West Tyrone
List of places UK Northern Ireland Tyrone

Castlederg (earlier Caslanadergy, from Irish: Caislean na Deirge, meaning "castle on the Derg") is a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Derg and is near the border with County Donegal. It stands in the townlands of Castlesessagh and Churchtown, in the historic barony of Omagh West and the civil parish of Urney. The village has a ruined castle and two ancient tombs known as the Druid's Altar and Todd's Den. It had an estimated population of 2,935 people in 2008.

The village hosts some of the district's key events each year, including the Derg Vintage Rally and the traditional Apple Fair which sees the apple growers of County Armagh visit to sell their wares.

Traditionally, Castlederg was a traveller's stop along the ancient pilgrimage route to Station Island on Lough Derg. The town boasts ancient ruins, monastic settlements and, as the stories go, has connections to Davy Crockett and Joe Sheridan, the creator of Irish coffee.

History

The Troubles

Castlederg is cited as "the most bombed small town" in Northern Ireland during The Troubles^{[citation needed]}, though this dubious honour was disputed, with nearby Strabane (although Strabane is a much larger town in which district council Castlederg is a part of) also trying to claim the title.^{[citation needed]}

For more information see The Troubles in Castlederg, which includes a list of incidents in Castlederg during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.

Winter of 2010

Castlederg recorded a Northern Ireland record low temperature of −18.7 °C (−1.7 °F) on the morning of 23 December 2010.

Transport

The narrow-gauge Castlederg and Victoria Bridge Tramway was built in 1883, to link the village with the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) at Victoria Bridge. Castlederg railway station opened on 4 July 1884, but was finally closed on 17 April 1933.

Education

• Saint Francis Of Assisi Primary School, Drumnabey, Castlederg
• Saint Patrick's Primary School
• Saint Eugene's High School
• Edwards Primary School
• Castlederg High School
• Erganagh primary school
• Gaelscoil na Deirge

Sport

Soccer

• Dergview F.C.
• St Patricks FC
• killen FC

Gaelic games

• Aghyaran St. Davog's
• Castlederg St. Eugene's

Demographics

19th century population

The population of the village increased during the 19th century:

Year	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891
Population	476	596	637	703	756	796
Houses	81	102	106	119	137	155

21st century population

Castlederg is classified as an intermediate settlement by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with a population between 2,250 and 4,500 people). On Census Day 29 April 2001 the resident population of Castlederg ward was 2,074. Of this population:

• 23.0% were under 16 years old and 22.7% were aged 60 and above;
• 48.2% of the population were male and 51.8% were female; and
• 59.0% were from a Catholic community background and 40.5% were from a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' community background.
• 6.2% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service

References

• NI Conflict Archive on the Internet
• Cycle Northwest
• Strabane District Council
• http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/mapxtreme_towns/PopChangesFacts/Castlederg.pdf

External links

• Welcome to Castlederg