Ardstraw

Ardstraw (from Irish: Ard Sratha (hill or height of the holm or strath)[1]) is a small village, townland and civil parish in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, three miles northwest of Newtownstewart. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 222 people (81 houses).[2]

Ardstraw Irish: Ard Sratha
Ardstraw Presbyterian Church
Ardstraw Location within Northern Ireland
Population	222 (2001 Census)
Irish grid reference	H348874
District	Strabane
County	County Tyrone
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STRABANE
Postcode district	BT82
Dialling code	028, +44 28
UK Parliament	West Tyrone
NI Assembly	West Tyrone

Ardstraw was once the seat of an important bishopric, as well as the ancient resting place of the local branch of the O'Neill clan. Today, the village is a key part of a thriving farming community. The stone mill buildings at Ardstraw are a distinctive riverside feature on the River Derg.

Bishopric

The Diocese of Ardstraw was founded in the 6th century by Saint Eoghan. It is one of the dioceses recognized by the Synod of Ráth Breasail in 1111. Although the 1152 Synod of Kells replaced it in its list of dioceses with that of Maghera, the seat of which was later moved to Derry, bishops of Ardstraw continued to exist until the early 13th century, when the see was finally united to that of Derry.[3][4][5]

No longer a residential bishopric it is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.[6]

John de Courcy

In 1198, John de Courcy, a Norman knight who had invaded Ulster in 1177, destroyed the church of Ardstraw on his way to Inishowen.[7]

Ardstraw townland

The townland is situated in the historic barony of Strabane Lower and the civil parish of Ardstraw and covers an area of 353 acres.[8]

The population of the townland declined during the 19th century:[9][10]

Year	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891
Population	156	132	144	88	71	56
Houses	34	27	30	20	14	12

Sport

Ardstraw F.C. plays association football in the Northern Ireland Intermediate League.

Civil parish of Ardstraw

The parish is largely situated in the historic barony of Strabane Lower and partly in Omagh West.

The parish contains the following towns and villages:

• Ardstraw
• Newtownstewart
• Spamount
• Victoria Bridge

Townlands

The parish contains the following townlands:

• Aghafad, Aghasessy, Altdoghal, Archill, Ardbarren Lower, Ardbarren Upper, Ardstraw
• Backhill, Ballought, Ballyfolliard, Ballymullarty, Ballynaloan, Ballyrenan, Barons Court, Beagh, Binnawooda, Birnaghs, Bloomry, Bolaght, Breen, Brocklis, Bunderg, Byturn
• Carnaveagh, Carncorran Glebe, Carnkenny, Carrickadartan, Cashty, Castlebane, Cavandarragh, Clady Blair, Clady Haliday, Clady Hood, Clady Johnston, Clady-sproul (also known as Liscreevaghan), Clare Upper, Claremore, County Tyrone, Cloghogle (also known as Glenknock), Cloonty, Concess, Coolaghy, Coolcreaghy, Coolnacrunaght, Coolnaherin Park, Creevy, County Tyrone, Crew Lower, Crew Upper, Crosh, County Tyrone, Croshballinree
• Deer Park Lower (also known as Deer Park Old), Deer Park Middle, Deer Park Upper (also known as Deer Park New), Derrygoon, Douglas (also known as Ligfordrum), Drumclamph, Drumlegagh, Drumnabey, Drumnahoe, Dunrevan, Dunteige
• Envagh, Erganagh
• Fyfin
• Gallan Lower, Gallan Upper, Garvetagh Lower, Garvetagh Upper, Glasmullagh, Glenglush, Glenknock (also known as Cloghogle), Golan Adams, Golan Hunter, Golan Sproul, Grange
• Killeen, Killydart, Killymore, Kilreal Lower, Kilreal Upper, Kilstrule, Knockbrack, Knockiniller, Knockroe
• Laragh, Largybeg, Legland, Legnabraid, Letterbin, Lettercarn, Ligfordrum (also known as Douglas), Liscreevaghan (also known as Clady-sproul), Lislafferty, Lisleen, Lisnacreaght, Lisnafin, Lisnatunny Glebe, Listymore, Lurganboy
• Magheracoltan, Magheracreggan, Magheralough, Meaghy, Milltown, Moyle Glebe, Mullagh, Mulvin
• Newtownstewart
• Priestsessagh, Pubble
• Rakelly, Ratyn
• Scarvagherin, Sessagh of Gallan, Shanog, Shanonny East, Shanonny West, Skinboy, Skinboy Mountain, Spamount, Stonewalls, Stonyfalls, Strahulter, Straletterdallan,
• Tamnagh, Tievenny, Tirmegan, Tullymuck
• Upperthird, Urbalreagh
• Whitehouse

See also

• Robert McBride (1811-1895)
• List of townlands of County Tyrone

References

1. "Ardstraw". Place Names NI. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
2. "List of all settlements with population of over 50 people". NI Neighbourhood Information Service. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
3. Ard Sratha (Ardstraw)
4. Saint Eoghan or Eugene of Ardstraw 6th century (Patron of Derry Diocese)
5. Henry Cotton, The Succession of the Prelates and Members of the Cathedral Bodies of Ireland. Fasti ecclesiae Hiberniae, Vol. 3, The Province of Ulster, Dublin, Hodges and Smith 1849, pp. 307–311
6. Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 838
7. DeBreffny, D; Mott, G (1976). The Churches and Abbeys of Ireland. London: Thames & Hudson. pp. 60–61.
8. "Townlands of County Tyrone". IreAtlas Townland Database. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
9. "Census of Ireland 1851". Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
10. "Census of Ireland 1891". Enhanced Parliamentary Papers on Ireland. Retrieved 28 December 2012.