Coalisland

In the late 17th century coal deposits were discovered in East Tyrone. While it was possible to exploit these resources, the difficulty was getting the coal to market in Dublin. In 1744 work began on the Coalisland Canal linking the coalfields to Lough Neagh. The town grew up around the canal workings.[4]

On 24 August 1968, the Campaign for Social Justice (CSJ), the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), and other groups, held the first civil rights march in Northern Ireland, from Coalisland to Dungannon. The rally was officially banned, but took place and passed off without incident. The publicity surrounding the march encouraged other protesting groups to form branches of the NICRA.[5]

The town has traditionally been viewed as an IRA stronghold throughout the Twentieth Century, with deep and enduring links to republicanism in the vicinity. From 1969 to 2001, a total of 20 people were shot in or near Coalisland during the Troubles. The British Army killed a total of eight people, seven of whom were Provisional Irish Republican Army members and one a Catholic civilian,[6] and the IRA in turn killed five British soldiers, three Royal Ulster Constabulary policemen, one ex-Ulster Defence Regiment soldier, and two Catholic civilians, all in separate incidents. The Ulster Volunteer Force was responsible for the murder of a Catholic civilian in the nearby town of Aughamullan.[7]

The population of the village increased during the 19th century:[10][11][12][13]

On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 5,682 people living in Coalisland.[3] Of these:

• 25.5% were aged under 16 years and 10.0% were aged 65 and over
• 49.1% of the population were male and 50.9% were female
• 93.8% were from a Catholic background and 4.7% were from a Protestant or other Christian background
• 7.2% of people aged 16–74 were unemployed.