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Omagh: (pop. 17,500) A market town 20 miles west of Cookstown. It is in the parish of Drumragh and Cappagh and in the barony of Omagh East. The town has grew from where 2 rivers meet. The river Camowen and the river Drumragh. The most prominent building of the town is the Sacred Heart Catholic church with its twin spires near the center of the town. The church was built from 1893 to 1899. The courthouse in the center of Omagh was built in 1814, by John Hargrave.
Cookstown: (pop. 11,000) is a market town 10 miles north of Dungannon. It is in the parish of Derryloran and in the barony of Dungannon Upper. The town is named after Allan Cook who settled here in 1609 during the plantation of Ireland. He obtained a patent for fairs and markets for the area in 1628. The town lies in 4 townlands, Cookstown, Loy, Gortalowry and Coolnafranky. The townlands were laid out by William Stewart , who was a Tyrone landlord of Killymoon, in 1750. South of the town is Killymoon Castle, built by John Nash for William Stewart for £80,000. The Stewarts resided here followed by the Moutrays. The castle is now used as a golf club.
Dungannon: (pop 10,000) is a manufacturing town approx. 10 miles north west of Armagh. It lies in the parish of Drumglass and in the barony of Dungannon Middle. In medieval times the O'Neills had a large fortress built in Dungannon. The site of which is marked by the ruins of an 18th century castle. These ruins are situated just north of the market square in the center of the town. The O'Neills also founded a Franciscan friary in 1489, and this is where that Con O Neill submitted to the English and accepted the title of Earle of Tyrone from Henry VIII, while his son was given the title of Baron of Dungannon. Following the Irish defeat at the battle of Kinsale, in 1602, the town was burnt to the ground to prevent the English seizing the town. During the plantation period the lands in and around Dungannon were granted to Sir Arthur Chichester, who laid out the plan of the modern town. In 1692, it was sold to Thomas Knox. He developed the town's markets and business. Here in 1782, in the old Meeting House is where the Irish Volunteers met to set up a pressure group seeking Irish independence.
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