Cookstown District Council
Tourist Information Centre
Villages in the Cookstown District
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Download Moneymore Map
The village of Moneymore is situated 4 miles north east of Cookstown. Moneymore is a plantation town which was developed by the Drapers’ company of London. Muine Mor (Moneymore) is the Irish name for ‘the big thicket’ and it was once inhabited by native tribes, particularly the O’Cahons. Following the Plantation of Ulster, the Draper’s Company ordered the building of Moneymore in the spring of 1615. Moneymore was destroyed in the 1641 Rebellion and not rebuilt until the end of the 17th century.
Points of interest: Moneymore is the half way point between Lough Neagh and the Sperrin Mountains. Moneymore was the first town in Mid-Ulster to have a piped water supply. The conservation village now has its own Heritage Trail incorporating 17 points of interest.
Standing in the foothills of the Sperrins, 564 feet above sea level, Pomeroy is the highest village in Northern Ireland and the second highest in Ireland. At the end of the 17th century however there was no village in this area, just an extensive forest. In 1729 the land was inherited by James Lowry on the death of his father. In 1750 Rev James Lowry was granted the right to hold a weekly market in Pomeroy and an important Hiring Fair. During the 1640’s the large forest had been stripped of timber but in the 1770’s Rev Lowry replanted approximately 556 acres and bequeathed money to erect the mansion, Pomeroy House. Much of the woodland is gone and the Georgian mansion demolished. All that remains is their burial vault on the Tanderagee Road. This was once approached by the longest avenue of Chilean Pine trees in Ireland.
Points of interest : Standing 564 feet above sea level makes Pomeroy the highest village in Northern Ireland.
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Stewartstown is a former market town built in the 18th century around a large square. The village was founded under the terms of the Plantation of Ulster in the aearly 17th Century by Sir Andrew Stewart. CLose to Stewartstown is Crieve Lough with its man made island or crannog. The last of the O'Neills great chiefs, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, is reputed to have spent his last night here beofre leaving Ireland's shores in what later become known as 'The Flight of the Earls'. Drumcairne Forest is located about three miles north east of the village and is the site of a beautiful Georgian mansion built by the Caufield family. The forest features planned wlaks and ornamental garden.
Points of interest: Stewartstown is notorious for houses and mansions. Annie Hall is an attractive early 19th Century house. Drumcairne House is a Georgian mansion surrounded by Drumcairne Forest.
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Coagh
Coagh village is situated on a ford of the Ballinderry River. The village was founded in 1720 by George Butler. The name derived from ‘an uiach’ meaning ‘the hollow as the village nestles among gentle low lying land. The main feature in the village is the impressive Hanover Square. It was named in honour of Hanoverian King George II. The five-arch bridge over the Ballinderry River still stands today and was planned by George Conyngham of Springhill. Fishing on this stretch of the Ballinderry River is exceptionally good at Coagh Bridge. The most significant standing stone is Tamlaght Stone, which can be easily viewed from the road side at the old rectory.
Points of interest: Coagh is noted for its excellent fishing because at this point the mouth of the Ballinderry River meets Lough Neagh. The village accommodates some historic and picturesque houses including Hanover House.
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