Tyrone

Names prominent in this county include: Bannon, Cahan, Carolan, Cawell, Conway, Cooney, Corry, Creehan, Cullen, Devlin, Donelly, Donely, Donnegan, Donnelly, Donnely, Ettigan, Gilmartin, Gormley, Green, Hagan, Hamill, Hayes, Henry, Hughes, Hussey, Laverty, Lunney, Lynch, MacCawell, MacCreehan, MacCullen, MacCullow, MacEttigan, MacGilmartin, McBreen, McCarvill, McCawell, McCollough, McConmee, McCourt, McCreehan, McCrossan, McCullen, McEtigan, McEttigan, McGilmartin, McGoldrick, McGuirk, McIntyre, McRory, McShane, McTaggart, Mellan, O'Bannon, O'Cahan, O'Carolan, O'Connelan, O'Corry, O'Devlin, O'Donnelly, O'Duvany, O'Gormley, O'Hagan, O'Hamill, O'Henry, O'Hussey, O'Kelly, O'Laverty, O'Loan, O'Lunney, O'Lynch, O'Neill, O'Quinn, O'Rafferty, Quinny, Tighe, Tomalty

A landlocked county in the north of Ireland, Tyrone borders Lough Neagh --the largest lake in Ireland-- & is bordered in part by the beautiful Blackwater River. Once part of the historical Kingdom of Ulster, in the early first millennium Tyrone was ruled by the famous Irish prince Eoghan --one of the sons of the near mythic Niall of the Nine Hostages. Later Tyrone became the stronghold of the O’Neill family --who claimed descent from Eoghan. The O’Neills retained control until shortly after the Nine Year Tyrone War --a complicated battle that began late in the 16th c. between a shifting alliance of the Northern Irish chieftains, their continental allies, and the British government. Tyrone was shortly thereafter settled by Scots as part of the Ulster Plantation. By the early 19th century rising wool prices --which encouraged Tyrone’s handful of large landowners to turn their fields over to sheep-- and high rents had driven Tyrone’s landless peasants to the edge of starvation. By the 1820s Catholics & Presbyterians alike were seeking a new life in America. - notes by Sarah Nagle

One of a series of Irish District tartans designed (and copyrighted) by Polly Wittering of the House of Edgar in 1995. This is not an 'officially sanctioned' District tartan but has proven popular.