Coalisland

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

For similarly-named places, see Coal Island.

Coalisland
  • Irish: Oileán an Ghuail
  • Scots: Collislann
View from the north of the town
Location within Northern Ireland
Population5,682 (2011 Census)
• Belfast35 miles (56 km)
District
  • Mid Ulster
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDUNGANNON
Postcode districtBT71
Dialling code028
UK Parliament
  • Mid Ulster
NI Assembly
  • Mid Ulster

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.

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