Drumquin

Coordinates: 54°36′58″N 7°29′26″W / 54.616095°N 7.490444°W / 54.616095; -7.490444

Drumquin (Irish: Droim Caoin (Pleasant ridge).) is a small village and townland (of 398 acres) in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies between Omagh and Castlederg, on the banks of the Drumquin River (Fairywater). It is situated in the civil parish of Longfield West and the historic barony of Omagh West. It had a population of 291 people in the 2001 Census.

History

It has a rich and varied historical legacy with a Neolithic stone circle, a Holy Well, and the Giant's Stone on Dooish Mountain. Those who are acquainted with the works of the noted Irish writer Benedict Kiely will be aware of his many references to the Drumquin district, with which he has family connections on his mothers side. In 1802, the countryside around Drumquin was described as one continuous scene of dreary mountains. However, the traveller did point out that forty years before that a rich coalmine had been opened at Drumquin and a canal opened to transport the coal. Drumquin has been in existence since 1211.