Ulster American Folk ParkAn open air museum outside Omagh about emigration from Ulster to North America. You walk from thatched Ulster farmhouses onto an emigrant sailing ship and off into an American street.
Tír Eoghain
Tyrone
The Sperrins in the north and the old O'Neill country below them.
- Ulster
- 20 places
- 14 more listings
The list
Top 10 things to do in Tyrone
Tyrone is the largest county in Northern Ireland, with the Sperrins along its northern edge and the western shore of Lough Neagh on its eastern side. A lot of this list is old stone, from the circles in the bog at Beaghmore to the hilltops at Tullaghoge and Dungannon where the O'Neills held power.
Ulster American Folk ParkAn open air museum outside Omagh about emigration from Ulster to North America. You walk from thatched Ulster farmhouses onto an emigrant sailing ship and off into an American street.
Beaghmore Stone CirclesSeven stone circles with cairns and stone rows, uncovered by turf cutting on open moorland at the edge of the Sperrins.
Gortin Glen Forest ParkThe first forest park in Northern Ireland to be opened in a conifer plantation, on the B48 between Omagh and Gortin, with a scenic drive and waymarked trails.
OM Dark Sky Park and ObservatoryVisitor centre · CookstownThe observatory in Davagh Forest sits inside Northern Ireland's only International Dark Sky Park, up in the Sperrin foothills northwest of Cookstown.
Glenelly ValleyValley · PlumbridgeThe Glenelly River runs west along this valley in the Sperrins down to Plumbridge, with Sawel, the highest of the range, on the ridge to the north.
Tullaghoge FortFort · CookstownThe O'Neills were inaugurated at this hilltop enclosure south of Cookstown. A path climbs to it from a small car park at the foot of the hill.
Wellbrook Beetling MillMuseum · CookstownA water powered linen mill in a wooded glen on the Ballinderry River west of Cookstown, where the wheel drives wooden hammers that pound the cloth to a sheen.
Knockmany Passage TombPrehistoric site · AugherA neolithic passage tomb on a hilltop above the Clogher valley near Augher. Its chamber stones are carved with spirals and circles, and a modern dome covers them now.
Ardboe CrossMonastic site · CookstownThe tenth century high cross on the Lough Neagh shore at Ardboe has twenty-two carved panels of Bible scenes, with a church ruin beside it.
Harry Avery's CastleCastle · NewtownstewartThe two towers on the hill outside Newtownstewart belong to a castle an O'Neill chief built around 1320, when Irish chiefs rarely built in stone.
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Castle CaulfieldCastle · DungannonSir Toby Caulfield built this house in 1619. The ruin in the village west of Dungannon keeps its dressed stone windows, and the family arms are over the gatehouse.
Hill of The O'Neill and Ranfurly HouseHeritage centre · DungannonThe O'Neills ruled Tyrone from this hilltop in Dungannon from 1305 until 1607. The exhibition is down in Ranfurly House, the old bank building in Market Square.
Lissan HouseHouse and gardens · CookstownThe Staples family lived at Lissan for nearly four hundred years. The house north of Cookstown is run by a trust now, with a walled garden and woodland walks in the demesne.
Benburb CastleCastle · BenburbSir Richard Wingfield built the bawn around 1615 on a cliff edge above the River Blackwater, in what are now the grounds of the Servite Priory at Benburb.
Newtownstewart CastleCastle · NewtownstewartSir Robert Newcomen built it in about 1619 on a slope above the River Strule, and its stepped triple gables still face the street in the middle of the town.
Donaghmore High CrossMonastic site · DungannonThe sandstone cross in Donaghmore village probably dates from the tenth century. It is carved with Bible scenes, and its lower half and its head come from two different crosses.
Roughan CastleCastle · CoalislandSir Andrew Stewart built it in 1618, a square three storey block with a round tower at each corner, looking out over Roughan Lough.
Mountjoy CastleFort · CoalislandA small early 17th century fort of stone and brick on a low hill above Lough Neagh, with a spear shaped tower at each of its four corners.
Drum Manor Forest ParkForest · CookstownThe Forest Service took over the old Drum Manor estate near Cookstown in 1964, and its waymarked trails go round the forest and a wildfowl lake.
Grant Ancestral HomesteadHeritage centre · BallygawleyThe whitewashed farmhouse at Dergenagh is where John Simpson, great-grandfather of US President Ulysses S Grant, was born before he emigrated in 1760.
Where they are
Tap a pin to open the place.
All 20 places are on the map.
in Tyrone today
- Ulster American Folk Park
- Beaghmore Stone Circles
- Gortin Glen Forest Park
- OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory
- Glenelly Valley
- Tullaghoge Fort
- Wellbrook Beetling Mill
- Knockmany Passage Tomb
- Ardboe Cross
- Harry Avery's Castle
- Castle Caulfield
- Hill of The O'Neill and Ranfurly House
- Lissan House
- Benburb Castle
- Newtownstewart Castle
- Donaghmore High Cross
- Roughan Castle
- Mountjoy Castle
- Drum Manor Forest Park
- Grant Ancestral Homestead
Towns
The one with enough in and around it for a page of its own.
More to see in Tyrone
14 more places from Northern Ireland’s heritage records and other public sources, linked to an official page where there is one.
Castles and houses2
- Clogher Hillfort: RathmoreClogher
- Castlederg CastleCastlederg
Abbeys and churches4
- Errigal Keerogue Cross and ChurchBallygawley
- St Macartan's Cathedral, ClogherClogher
- Derryloran ChurchCookstown
- Magheraglass ChurchCookstown
Ancient sites4
Museums1
Other places1
Music in Tyrone
Trad sessions, venues and festivals.
Where to hear it
Sessions come and go: check with the pub before you travel.
Getting to Tyrone
- By air
- Belfast International Airport, Derry (City of Derry) Airport
- By rail
- Derry is the nearest station for Omagh and Strabane, and Portadown for Dungannon and the east of the county.
- By road
- The M1, A4, A5 and A29.
Questions
What are the best things to do in Tyrone?
Our top three are Ulster American Folk Park, Beaghmore Stone Circles and Gortin Glen Forest Park. The full list of twenty is at the top of this page, and every place on it has a page of its own.
What can you do in Tyrone for free?
Walks and open ground cost nothing to visit. On our list that includes Gortin Glen Forest Park and Drum Manor Forest Park. Some forest parks charge for the car park, so check parking and access with the place before you go.
What is on in Tyrone?
Our event listings come from Fáilte Ireland and cover the Republic, so events in Tyrone do not show here. For music, the venues and festivals are on the music page.
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