Fivemiletown

Fivemiletown Irish: Baile na Lorgan
Tyrone
The Catholic church
Location
Grid reference:	H445478
Location:	54°22’48"N, 7°18’45"W
Data
Population:	1,356  (2008)
Post town:	Fivemiletown
Postcode:	BT75
Dialling code:	028
Local Government
Parliamentary constituency:	Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Fivemiletown is a village and townland in the parish of Clogher in Tyrone. It is 16 miles east of Enniskillen and 26 miles west-south-west of Dungannon, on the A4 Enniskillen-to-Dungannon road. Its population as of 2008 is estimated to be 1,356. The village is most famous for its creamery, which was begun as a cooperative in 1898 by Hugh de Fellonburg Montgomery. Fivemiletown Creamery originally made butter and milk, but now makes cheeses for the Irish market and for export across Europe and North America. The village was known before the Plantation of Ulster as Ballylurgan which is derived from the Irish Baile na Lorgan, meaning "settlement of the long ridge". The English-language name comes from its location, five Irish miles (1 Irish mile = 1.27 statute miles) from its nearest neighbours: Clogher, Brookeborough and Tempo.

History

The Clogher Valley Railway ran from Tynan, County Armagh, to Maguiresbridge, Fermanagh, with Fivemiletown being one of its main stations. The old station house is still one of the landmarks in the village. The trains stopped at the Buttermarket on Main Street and the creamery to be loaded or unloaded with goods.

After the Second World War, the growth of road transport made railways almost redundant and when the Northern Ireland Government learned that the Clogher Valley Railway had operated as a loss for 27 years because of growing road transport, it recommended the shutting of the line. The last train ran on the last day of 1941, bringing to an end one of Fivemiletown's most characteristic features. It's said that a wake lasted for three days and three nights to mark the end of a narrow gauge in the area.

Geography

Entering Fivemiletown via the Ballagh Road

Halfway between Fivemiletown and Fintona, nine miles north-west, lies Murley Mountain. This mountain rises to a peak of 1,024 feet above sea level and marks the western edge of the Clogher Valley. On the summit is the Lendrums Bridge wind farm, one of the biggest in Ireland, with 20 wind turbines. Another ten are planned for the neighbouring Hunter's Hill. Murley Mountain's location is lonely and exposed, especially to prevailing southwesterly winds. This makes it a prime site for wind-generated power.

The River Blackwater runs through the counties of Tyrone and Armagh, as well as County Monaghan. The source of the Blackwater is to the north of Fivemiletown. There are also several small lakes around the village which draw many anglers.

Transport

A view southwest along the main street of Fivemiletown

• The narrow-gauge Clogher Valley Railway ran through the village from 1887 until 1942. The train originally had a top speed of 10 mph. Fivemiletown railway station opened on 2 May 1887 and was shut on 1 January 1942.
• The A4 is the main route into Fermanagh (and on to County Sligo) from the Belfast direction. Running from the end of the M1 at Dungannon, the section through the Clogher Valley is the lowest standard on the whole route. While towns and villages along the A4 in Fermanagh were generally bypassed years ago, the A4 runs straight through the middle of three Tyrone villages: Augher, Clogher and Fivemiletown. These are now the only non-bypassed settlements on the road.

The biggest of these settlements, Fivemiletown, will be bypassed. The village currently has a one-way system to cope with the heavy traffic on the narrow main street, but this stalls long-distance traffic and is a big inconvenience to residents of the village.

The new road will be built to 2+1 standard, meaning that there will be one lane in one direction, with two in the opposite direction to permit overtaking. On longer routes, such as this one, the overtaking lane usually alternates giving an overtaking opportunity to traffic in each direction. The scheme will compliment a 2+1 scheme completed on the A4 outside Fivemiletown in 2004.

Sport and leisure

• Clogher Valley Golf Club [1]
• Clogher Valley Rugby Football Club [2]
• Fivemiletown United Football Club [3]

Music

• Cavanaleck Pipe Band [4]
• Fivemiletown Accordion Band
• Fivemiletown Pipe Band
• Murley Silver Band [5]

Education

• Fivemiletown College
• Fivemiletown Primary School [6]
• St Mary's Primary School

Religion

• Aghintaine Roman Catholic Church
• Aghintaine Presbyterian Church
• Bell Methodist Church
• Cavanaleck Presbyterian Church
• Clogher Valley Free Presbyterian Church
• Fivemiletown Independent Methodist Church
• Fivemiletown Methodist Church
• Kiltermon Church of Ireland
• St John's Church of Ireland
• St Mary's Roman Catholic Church

References

• Dungannon & South Tyrone Area Plan 2010

• http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/mapxtreme_towns/PopChangesFacts/Fivemiletown.pdf

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Fivemiletown)

• Fivemiletown Creamery
• Fivemiletown United F.C.
• Clogher Valley R.F.C
• Clogher Valley Golf Club
• Murley Silver Band
• Fivemiletown Primary School
• Dungannon and South Tyrone District Council