Coalisland

For similarly-named places, see Coal Island.

Coalisland
View from the north of the town
Coalisland is located in Northern Ireland
Coalisland
Location within Northern Ireland
Population5,682 (2011 Census)
• Belfast35 miles (56 km)
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDUNGANNON
Postcode districtBT71
Dialling code028
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Tyrone
54°32′31″N 6°41′38″W / 54.542°N 6.694°W / 54.542; -6.694

Coalisland (Irish: Oileán an Ghuail)[1] is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 5,682 in the 2011 Census.[3] Four miles from Lough Neagh, it was formerly a centre for coal mining.

Coalisland was established around the Coalisland Canal in the 17th century due to the discovery of coal deposits in the region. In the 20th century, the town was known as an IRA stronghold during the Troubles, with 20 people shot in or near Coalisland from 1969 to 2001. The first civil rights march in Northern Ireland took place in Coalisland in 1968, organized by the CSJ and NICRA. The Coalisland Canal, now derelict, is the focus of a restoration campaign. Coalisland railway station operated from 1897 to 1965, but only remnants of the railway exist today. Daily bus services run through the town, and the Craic Theatre and Arts Centre serves as a performing arts venue and youth theatre programme.

  1. ^ a b "Oileán an Ghuail/Coal Island". Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  2. ^ Ulster-Scots guide to Moira Station – Department of the Environment
  3. ^ "Census 2011 Population Statistics for Coalisland Settlement". Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Retrieved 30 July 2019.