Fivemiletown

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Fivemiletown is a small village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the A4 road, about 16 miles east of Enniskillen and 26 miles west-south-west of Dungannon. The 2021 census recorded 1,341 residents.

Name and history
The town’s name comes from being five Irish miles from nearby towns Clogher, Brookeborough, and Tempo. Its original Irish name was Baile na Lorgan, meaning “townland of the long ridge,” and it has also been known as Ballynalurgan, Mount Stewart, and Blessingbourn.

Creamery
The Fivemiletown Creamery began in 1898 as a cooperative and originally produced butter and milk. Today it makes cheeses for the UK and Ireland and for export to Europe and North America.

Transport history
Fivemiletown was a main station on the Clogher Valley Railway, which ran from Tynan to Maguiresbridge. The old station building is a local landmark. The line closed after World War II as road transport became more common; the last train ran on 31 December 1941.

Geography and scenery
Nearby Murley Mountain to the west hosts a wind farm with 20 turbines, with plans for about 10 more at nearby Hunter’s Hill. The River Blackwater starts north of the village, and there are several small lakes around Fivemiletown that attract anglers.

Community
NISRA classifies Fivemiletown as a village. In 2011, the settlement’s population was 1,243, making up a small share of Northern Ireland’s total.