Ardstraw

Coordinates: 54°44′02″N 7°27′35″W / 54.7339°N 7.45972°W / 54.7339; -7.45972

Ardstraw (Irish: Ard sratha (hill or height of the holm or strath)) 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).

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 (Árd Sratha in Irish) 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.