Caledon, County Tyrone
Encyclopedia
Caledon historically known as Kinnaird (from ), is a small village
and townland
in County Tyrone
, Northern Ireland
. It is in the Clogher Valley on the banks of the River Blackwater
, 7 miles from Armagh
. It lies in the southeast of Tyrone and near the borders of County Armagh
and County Monaghan
. In the 2001 Census
it had a population of 387 people. It is a designated conservation area.
, a member of the Irish House of Commons for Londonderry, who had previously in 1778 bought the Caledon Estate. James Alexander was made Baron Caledon in 1790 and later Viscount Caledon in 1797. The House was begun in 1779 to designs by Thomas Cooley
, but altered by John Nash
in 1808-10.
) opened on 2 May 1887, but finally closed on 1 January 1942. Tynan and Caledon railway station on the mainline Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
opened on 25 May 1858 and finally closed on 1 October 1957.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
in County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It is in the Clogher Valley on the banks of the River Blackwater
River Blackwater, Northern Ireland
The River Blackwater is a river in County Armagh and County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, as well as County Monaghan and County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, which has its source to the north of Fivemiletown, County Tyrone...
, 7 miles from Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
. It lies in the southeast of Tyrone and near the borders of County Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
and County Monaghan
County Monaghan
County Monaghan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Council is the local authority for the county...
. In the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
it had a population of 387 people. It is a designated conservation area.
Name
The name Caledon seemingly appears to be a shortern of the old Latin name for Scotland of Caledonia, originating from the Pictish tribe of northern Scotland, the Caledonii meaning great, hard/tough people. Today in Scotland the gaelic version is An Chaillean can be found in Dunkeld/Dún Chaillean and Schiehallion/Sídh Chaillean.History
Caledon House was built in 1779 by James AlexanderJames Alexander, 1st Earl of Caledon
James Alexander, 1st Earl of Caledon was an Irish landlord, merchant, politician and peer of the realm. The second son of Alderman Nathaniel Alexander of Derry, he was the effective founder of the Caledon family, and certainly the founder of its fortune.-An Irish 'nabob':Alexander began his career...
, a member of the Irish House of Commons for Londonderry, who had previously in 1778 bought the Caledon Estate. James Alexander was made Baron Caledon in 1790 and later Viscount Caledon in 1797. The House was begun in 1779 to designs by Thomas Cooley
Thomas Cooley (architect)
Thomas Cooley was an English architect who came to Dublin from London after winning a competition for the design of Dublin's Royal Exchange in 1768. He built several public buildings in Dublin in the neoclassical style...
, but altered by John Nash
John Nash (architect)
John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...
in 1808-10.
- 20 June 1968 - The Caledon Protest: Austin CurrieAustin CurrieAustin Currie is a former politician who was elected to the parliaments of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland....
, Nationalist PartyNationalist Party (Northern Ireland)The Nationalist Party† - was the continuation of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and was formed after partition, by the Northern Ireland-based members of the IPP....
MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
at StormontParliament of Northern IrelandThe Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...
, with others, began a protest about discrimination in housing allocation by 'squatting' (illegally occupying) in a house in Caledon. The house had been allocated by Dungannon Rural District Council to a 19 year-old unmarried ProtestantProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
woman, Emily Beattie, who was the secretary of a local Unionist politician. Emily Beattie was given the house ahead of older married CatholicRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
families with children. The protesters were evicted by officers of the Royal Ulster ConstabularyRoyal Ulster ConstabularyThe Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
(RUC), one of whom was Emily Beattie's brother. The next day the annual conference of the Nationalist Party unanimously approved of the protest action by Austin Currie in Caledon. This was one of the catalysts of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland.
- Caledon in recent times has built a certain notoriety in recent years, attracting many media to the small rural village, for the 2004 murder of KillyleaKillyleaKillylea is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census the village had a population of 219 people. It is within the Armagh City and District Council area...
man Noel Williamson, the spate of attempted murders in February 2007 in which five men were stabbed and a double attempted murder in February 2008 in which a house was petrol bombed, leaving a father and his young son in critical condition but it was later found out that the father and the young man had been making petrol bombs and had dropped it and set the house on fire themselves.
Transport
Caledon railway station (on the narrow gauge Clogher Valley RailwayClogher Valley Railway
The Clogher Valley Railway was a 37 mile long narrow gauge railway in County Tyrone and County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It opened in May 1887 and closed on 1 January 1942 .-Route:...
) opened on 2 May 1887, but finally closed on 1 January 1942. Tynan and Caledon railway station on the mainline Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The Great Northern was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and...
opened on 25 May 1858 and finally closed on 1 October 1957.
People
- The village is home to the Earl of CaledonEarl of CaledonEarl of Caledon, of Caledon, County Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for James Alexander, 1st Viscount Caledon. He was a merchant who had made an enormous fortune in India. He also represented the constituency of Londonderry City in the Irish House of Commons...
and the Alexander family as well as previously being home to Sir Pheilim (Feilim) O'NeillFelim O'Neill of KinardSir Felim O'Neill of Kinard , also called Phelim MacShane O'Neill or Féilim Ó Néill , was an Irish nobleman who led the Irish Rebellion of 1641 in Ulster which began on 22 October 1641. He was a member of the Irish Catholic Confederation during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, where he fought under...
, the leader of the Irish Rebellion of 1641Irish Rebellion of 1641The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...
. - John Foster McCreightJohn Foster McCreightJohn Foster McCreight QC was a jurist and the first Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia.-Early life:...
(1827-1913) was a jurist and the first PremierPremier (Canada)In Canada, a premier is the head of government of a province or territory. There are currently ten provincial premiers and three territorial premiers in Canada....
of the CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
provinceProvinces and territories of CanadaThe provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. He was born in Caledon to a well-established and well-connected family. - Brian McCoy (1942 – 1975), was a trumpet player with the Miami ShowbandMiami Showband killingsThe Miami Showband killings was a paramilitary attack at Buskhill, County Down, Northern Ireland, in the early morning of 31 July 1975. It left five people dead at the hands of Ulster Volunteer Force gunmen, including three members of The Miami Showband...
. McCoy was one of the three bandmembers killed when the group was ambushed outside Newry by the Ulster Volunteer Force at a bogus military checkpoint.
Education
- Churchill Primary School
- St. Joseph's Primary School
- The local converted court house has also been known to provide some evening educational activities, such as computer and first aid classes.