Strabane Totally Explained

Everything about Strabane totally explained

Strabane (; Irish, An Srath Bán, Fair River Valley or White Strand) is a town in the west of County Tyrone and the north-west of Northern Ireland. The town straddles the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with the town of Lifford, County Donegal, to the west. Strabane is the second largest town in the county. It stands roughly half-way between Omagh and Derry and roughly half-way between Omagh and Letterkenny and has a population of 15,000 people. It contains the headquarters of Strabane District Council (Comhairle Ceantair an tSratha Báin). The historic town of Lifford in County Donegal lies on the other side of the River Foyle (across Lifford Bridge), which marks the border between the two counties. Lifford is the official County Town of County Donegal.
The River Mourne flows through the centre of the town, and meets with the River Finn to form the River Foyle. Strabane suffered huge economic damage in 1987 when much of the centre of the town was flooded.

Recent history

Strabane once had the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in the European Union. It is one of the most economically deprived towns in the United Kingdom. The average wage of someone in Strabane is just £233 per week, compared with £320 in Northern Ireland and £349 in the UK.
In August 2005, a Channel 4 television programme presented by property experts Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer, named Strabane as the third worst place to live in the United Kingdom, largely because of the high unemployment rate. Strabane has however moved out of the top 20 for the 2007 edition.
The Strabane transmitting station, located in Legfordrum and highly visible on approach to the town, was opened in 1963 to extend the range of UTV transmissions. The town was also noted on the old UTV logo that featured a rough representation of major towns in Northern Ireland.

The Troubles

Strabane was badly scarred by the Troubles, (it was once known as the most bombed town in Europe per size since the Second World War) beginning in the early 1970s and continuing throughout much of the 1990s, with bombings commonplace and Irish Republican paramilitary groups, mainly the Provisional Irish Republican Army, regularly attacking the bases of both the British army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) located in the town. Many British soldiers, RUC officers and civilians met their deaths in Strabane and the surrounding, predominantly rural, area. Some civilians were killed controversially by the British army, others by republican paramilitaries in deliberate attacks or when caught up in attacks on the security forces.
   Many army regiments from England, Scotland and Wales served in Strabane at various times during the Troubles. As of recently there's no permanent British army presence in the town. Some nationalists also claim that police brutality and intimidation is still common in the town, with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), (successors to the RUC), having little support in Strabane as of yet. With the ongoing reforms of the PSNI and the creation of the Strabane District Policing Partnership this may change in time.
   Recent years have seen Strabane, an overwhelmingly nationalist town, become a centre of dissident republican paramilitarism with groups such as the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), increasing in membership. "Shows of strength" have been carried out by the RIRA, mainly in the Head of the Town and Ballycolman areas of Strabane, where members of the organisation appear heavily armed with machine guns and rocket launchers.
   Both the Ballycolman and Head of the Town areas suffered greatly from deprivation, unemployment and the troubles, with riots, shootings and bomb incidents in the area commonplace as well as confrontations between British Forces and the local population, especially throughout the 1970s and 80s. Recent times however have seen an upturn for the area with Development agencies and community organisations setting up new centres of activity for adults and young people, with the new multi-purpose community centre in Fountain Street taking pride of place, work schemes have also been effective in alleviating unemployment in the area and refurbishing homes as well as completely transforming the local environment, whilst a lot of work has still to be done, the future is looking brighter.
   The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) has carried out many high-profile armed robberies at locations such as banks and supermarkets in the town since 2001, which have tailed off since a BBC Northern Ireland Spotlight documentary highlighted the events in December 2004, although another robbery involving hostage taking occurred in October 2006. One such robbery at the Ulster Bank in Strabane's Abercorn Square netted £500,000 for the organisation. Strabane has recently become involved in the Ulster Project International, sending Catholic and Protestant teenagers to the United States for prejudice-reduction work. For more information see The Troubles in Strabane, which includes a list of some of the most serious incidents in Strabane that occurred during, and because of, the Troubles.

Transport

The town once boasted one of the busiest rail connections on the island. This fell into disuse over time, although an old railway building still stands in the town.
In 1792 the four mile (6 km) Strabane Canal was constructed from the tidal waters of Lough Foyle at Leck, to Strabane. The canal fell into disuse in 1962. In June 2006 the Strabane Lifford Development Commission awarded a £1.3m cross-border waterways restoration contract. The project was launched by President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, in Lifford and involves the restoration of one and a half miles of canal and two locks to working order. Work was due to start on the Lough Foyle side of the canal in the summer of 2006 but it never happened.

2001 Census

Strabane is classified as a Medium Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)

(ie with population between 10,000 and 18,000 people). On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 13,456 people living in Strabane. by mid 2006 the towns population has grown to over 15,000. Of these:

99.3% classed their ethnic group as white

93.3% were from a Catholic background and 6.1% were from a Protestant background

43.6% of people aged 16-74 were economically inactive

6.8% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed

15.6% of people aged 16-59 were claiming incapacity benefit

27.6% were aged under 16 years and 13.7% were aged 60 and over

48.1% of the population were male and 51.9% were female

Local Politics

At the last council elections in May 2005, members of Strabane District Council were elected from the following political parties: 8 Sinn Féin, 3 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), 2 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), 2 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and 1 Independent Nationalist. The current Council Chairman is Councillor Gerard Foley (Sinn Féin). The Strabane District Council area covers an area of 861.6 km² and according to the 2001 Census, the council area had a total population of 38,250. Pat Doherty, of Sinn Féin, is the local Member of Parliament for the constituency of West Tyrone.

Culture

Strabane has seen a revival of Gaelic culture over the last decade. The local Gaelic football team, Strabane Sigersons, and the hurling team, Strabane Seamrogaí, are ever expanding. The Sigerson Cup, the All-Ireland colleges cup for Gaelic football, is named after a native of the town, Dr. Sigerson. Strabane has become a front runner in the re-establishment of the Irish language where hundreds of children have passed through the local Irish language Naiscoil an tSratha Bain (pre-school) founded 1994 and Gaelscoil (primary school) to become fluent in their native language. Other Irish Language Groups including Conradh na Gaeilge and Gaelphobal are also flourishing throughout the Strabane District. The past 10 years has also seen a massive revival in Irish traditional music, song, and dance in the Strabane District. CRAIC (Cultural Revival Among Interested Communities) a cross border, cross community group now hundreds strong have been providing music lessons to both adults and children on a voluntary basis in the local Irish language Gaelscoil on Tuesday evenings. Strabane is also well renowned for its love of The Arts. The 'Barret School of Irish Dancing' has been successful in producing some of Irelands best Irish Dancers. Furthermore the towns most popular theatre group 'The Puddle Alley Players' has scooped numerous awards over the years in various amateur dramatic competitions all over the country.
   Strabane also boasts two brass bands Strabane Concert Brass, 5 times National Champions, as well as St Josephs Brass Band. Accordion bands also have been a feature of the culture in Strabane with historically the Mourne Accordion Band and Tom P Mullan Accordion Band. These were succeeded by the Oliver Plunket Band which survived until 2005. The town is currently represented by the Tom P Mullan Memorial Accordion Band formed in 2006.
   Strabane also has a flute band The Strabane Memorial Flute Band which attends Republican Parades and similar events throughout Ireland, Scotland and the USA.
   One of Strabane's most striking features are five steel structures: two dancers, a fiddle player on the Lifford side, a flute player on the Strabane side and a drummer in the middle. Designed by Maurice Harron

, they were placed at the former British army base at the Donegal border. Affectionately known locally as The Tinneys. Strabane is twinned with Zeulenroda in the District of Thuringia, Germany.

Places of interest

The wider area surrounding Strabane is scenic and very attractive with many forests and glens. People come from all over the world to fish in the beautiful River Mourne, including golfing legend Tiger Woods, particularly between Victoria Bridge and Strabane. The town is home to one of Ireland's largest and most picturesque golf courses.
The National Trust owns the Strabane house in which John Dunlap learnt the printing trade. The house has been visited by many famous people, for example 42nd US President Bill Clinton, and is located at the end of the Main Street (An Príomhsráid). Dunlap went on to print the United States Declaration of Independence.
Nearby Strabane is Dergalt, the ancestral home of Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States.

Sport

Strabane Sigersons is a local Gaelic Athletic Association club.

People

Paul Brady - singer songwriter

Flann O'Brien - best known pseudonym of Brian O'Nolan, 20th century Irish satirist and humorist. He also wrote under the pseudonym Myles na gCopaleen

William Burke - 19th century serial killer, from Urney, a Strabane townland

Declan Curry - business correspondent on the BBC One Breakfast programme

Brian Dooher and Stephen O'Neill - key members of the 2003 and 2005 all-Ireland winning Tyrone Gaelic football team

Hugo Duncan - popular entertainer known as the wee man from Strabane.

John Dunlap - printer of the United States Declaration of Independence

Pearse McCauley - IRA member jailed for the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe

Gerard Ó Dochartaigh - Irish language activist for whom the local Gaelscoil (Irish Language school) is named

Dr George Sigerson - Gaelic activist and namesake of the Sigerson Cup

Annie Scott Dill Maunder, nee Russell - astronomer.

Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, was of Ulster-Scots descent on both sides of his family. He was the grandson of a printer from Dergalt, near Strabane, whose former home is open to visitors.Further Information

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