View source for Strabane

{{short description|Town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland}}
{{for|the community in the United States|Strabane, Pennsylvania}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
| type = [[Town]]
| official_name = Strabane
| irish_name = An Srath Bán
| scots_name = 
| local_name = 
| static_image_name = The Square, Strabane - geograph.org.uk - 3403428.jpg
| static_image_caption = The Square, town centre of Strabane
| map_type = Northern Ireland
| coordinates = {{coord|54.83|-7.47|display=inline,title}}
| belfast_distance = 
| population = 13,507
| population_ref = ([[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 census]])
| irish_grid_reference = 
| unitary_northern_ireland = [[Derry and Strabane District Council|Derry and Strabane]]
| country = Northern Ireland
| historic_county = 
| post_town = STRABANE
| postcode_area = BT
| postcode_district = BT82
| dial_code = 028
| constituency_westminster = [[West Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)|West Tyrone]]
| constituency_ni_assembly = [[West Tyrone (Assembly constituency)|West Tyrone]]
| lieutenancy_northern_ireland = [[County Tyrone]]
| website = [http://www.derrystrabane.com www.derrystrabane.com]
}}

'''Strabane''' ({{IPAc-en|s|t|r|ə|ˈ|b|æ|n}}; {{Irish derived place name|An Srath Bán|the white river-holm}})<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.placenamesni.org/resultdetails.php?entry=20931 |title=PlaceNames NI |access-date=10 March 2021 |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506184735/http://www.placenamesni.org/resultdetails.php?entry=20931 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Room |first=Adrian |title=Placenames of the world |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, NC |year=2003 |page=344 |isbn=0-7864-1814-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=An Srath Ban/Strabane |url=https://www.logainm.ie/en/65052 |website=logainm.ie |access-date=27 April 2020 |archive-date=17 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717211538/https://www.logainm.ie/en/65052 |url-status=live}}</ref> is a town in [[County Tyrone]], Northern Ireland.

Strabane had a population of 13,507 at the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 census]].<ref name=Census2011>{{cite web |title=Census 2011 Population Statistics for Strabane Settlement |url=https://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/AreaProfileReportViewer.aspx?FromAPAddressMulipleRecords=Strabane@Exact%20match%20of%20location%20name:%20@Exact%20Match%20Of%20Location%20Name:%20%20Strabane@23? |url-status=live |publisher=[[Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency]] (NISRA) |access-date=10 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205055713/https://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/AreaProfileReportViewer.aspx?FromAPAddressMulipleRecords=Strabane%40Exact%20match%20of%20location%20name%3A%20%40Exact%20Match%20Of%20Location%20Name%3A%20%20Strabane%4023%3F |archive-date=5 February 2021}} [[File:Open Government Licence logo.svg|30px]] This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright.</ref> It lies on the east bank of the [[River Foyle]]. It is roughly midway from [[Omagh]], [[Derry]] and [[Letterkenny]]. The River Foyle marks [[Irish border|the border]] between Northern Ireland and the [[Republic of Ireland]]. On the other side of the river (across [[Lifford Bridge]]) is the smaller town of [[Lifford]], which is the [[county town]] of [[County Donegal|Donegal]]. The [[River Mourne]] flows through the centre of the town and meets the [[River Finn (County Donegal)|Finn]] to form the [[Foyle River]]. A large hill named Knockavoe, which marks the beginning of the [[Sperrins|Sperrin Mountains]], forms the backdrop to the town.

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Strabane Fair.jpg|thumb|Photograph of Strabane Fair by Herbert F. Cooper, {{circa|1910}} (PRONI)]]

The locale was home to a group of northern Celts known as the [[Orighella]] as far back as the fourth century when the territories of [[Eógan mac Néill|Owen]] (later [[Tír Eoghain]]) and [[Conall Gulban|Connail]] (later [[Tír Chonaill]] - mostly modern [[County Donegal]]) were established, and Orighella were assimilated into the [[Cenél Conaill]]. With the arrival of [[Saint Patrick]], a mission established a church in the area near [[Castlefin]], and having visited the [[Grianan of Aileach|Grianán Aileach]] for the conversion of Owen, returned along the Foyle river, establishing a further church at [[Artigarvan|Leckpatrick]] (the name means 'the flagstone of St. Patrick'). A later church was established at [[Lifford|Lifford/Clonleigh]] by a mission headed by [[Columba|St. Colmcille]]. In AD 586 St. Colgan established a monastery at Camus [from whence the parish of Camus-Juxta-Mourne gets its name]. Other monasteries and religious sites were established at this time at [[Urney, County Tyrone|Urney]], [[Ballycolman]], Donagheady, and [[Artigarvan]].<ref name="worldcat.org">{{cite book|title=The Fair River Valley : Strabane through the ages|oclc=045721315}}</ref>

===Middle Ages===
[[Vikings]] arrived at Lifford in AD 832 and maintained a presence on the Foyle until AD 863 when they were expelled by [[Áed Findliath]]. The regional seat of power was to be the Grianán Aileach until 1101, when it was destroyed by the [[O'Brien dynasty|O'Briens of Thomond]], and was then moved to Urney, three miles outside Strabane. In 1243, the seat of power for all Tyrone and the O'Neill dynasty was moved to [[Cookstown]]. It was during this epoch, in AD 1231, that [[Franciscans|Franciscan friars]] established a religious foundation on what is now the old graveyard at St. Patrick's Street, Strabane.<ref name="worldcat.org"/>

===Seventeenth century===
The town was settled by Scottish families in the 1600s, an action that preceded the [[Plantation of Ulster]]. In 1608, during [[O'Doherty's Rebellion]], most of the inhabitants fled to the safety of the fort of [[Lifford]] following Sir [[Cahir O'Doherty]]'s [[Burning of Derry]] and Burning of Strabane.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gf0kwdkfjPQC&pg=PA2|title=Overlooking the River Mourne: Four Centuries of Family Farms in Edymore and Cavanalee in County Tyrone|first= Michael |last=Cox|year= 2006|page=2|publisher=Ulster Historical Foundation|isbn=978-1903688441}}</ref>

===Twentieth century===
[[File:Strabane.JPG|thumb|left|Main Street, Strabane]]
[[File:Strabane Town Hall.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Strabane Town Hall]]]]
In 1921, Strabane became a border town following the [[partition of Ireland]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Border Dividing Ireland Has Long Been Invisible. Brexit Threatens to Make It Real. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/business/ireland-border-brexit.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=26 December 2018 |access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref> Sitting directly astride the border, Strabane suffered extensive damage during the Troubles from the early 1970s: [[Strabane Town Hall]] was destroyed in a bomb attack in 1972.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/imported/a-pleasant-trip-down-the-fair-river-valley-28310122.html|title=A pleasant trip down the Fair River Valley|date=5 July 2008|newspaper=The Belfast Telegraph|access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref> The damage continued throughout much of the 1990s, with bombings and shootings commonplace; [[Irish Republican]] [[paramilitary]] groups, mainly the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]], regularly attacked the town's [[British Army]] and [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] (RUC) bases. Strabane was once the most bombed town in Europe in proportion to its size, and was the most bombed town in Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.channel4.com/news/gay-bar-lgbt-strabane-the-central-northern-ireland-video|title=How one gay bar changed attitudes in rural N Ireland|work=Channel 4 News|access-date=2018-11-08|language=en-GB|archive-date=8 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108065634/https://www.channel4.com/news/gay-bar-lgbt-strabane-the-central-northern-ireland-video|url-status=live}}</ref>

Many civilians and members of the security forces were killed or injured in the area over the course of the Troubles. Many British Army regiments from [[England]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]] served in Strabane at various times during the Troubles in the barracks at the locally named "Camel's hump" beside [[Lifford Bridge]]. As a result of the [[Good Friday Agreement]], there is no longer any British Army presence in the town. Strabane became involved in the [[Ulster Project|Ulster Project International]], sending [[Catholic]] and [[Protestant]] teenagers to the [[United States]] for prejudice-reduction work.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ulsterproject.org|title=Ulster Project International|publisher=Ulsterproject.org|access-date=30 June 2015|archive-date=25 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625012348/http://www.ulsterproject.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the height of [[The Troubles]], Strabane garnered the dubious distinction of the highest [[unemployment]] rate in the industrial world. It is one of the most economically deprived towns in the United Kingdom. Huge economic damage occurred when much of the town centre flooded in 1987.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.derryjournal.com/news/flood-disaster-recalled-25-years-on-1-4374105|title=Flood disaster recalled - 25 years on|newspaper=[[Derry Journal]]|date=16 October 2012|access-date=8 July 2017|archive-date=26 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826055527/http://www.derryjournal.com/news/flood-disaster-recalled-25-years-on-1-4374105|url-status=live}}</ref>

In August 2005, a [[Channel 4]] television programme presented by property experts [[Kirstie Allsopp]] and [[Phil Spencer (television personality)|Phil Spencer]] named Strabane the eighth-worst place to live in the UK, largely owing to unemployment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/best&worst/best&worst_strabane.html|title=The Best and Worst Places to Live in Britain|publisher=Channel4.com|access-date=30 June 2015|archive-date=22 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622081327/http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/best%26worst/best%26worst_strabane.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Strabane had been moved out of the top 20 in the 2007 edition.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7045609.stm|work=BBC News|title=Town shrugs off dismal TV label|access-date=24 May 2010|archive-date=18 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018043216/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7045609.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

As a result, the Strabane Community Unemployed Group<ref>{{cite web|title=NICVA|date=11 March 2016|url=http://www.nicva.org/organisation/strabane-community-unemployed-group|access-date=19 November 2018|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119173401/http://www.nicva.org/organisation/strabane-community-unemployed-group|url-status=live}}</ref> was founded to find solutions to long-term unemployment and combat the causes of unemployment. Sister Mary Carmel Fanning, a retired Catholic girls school principal who had been awarded the [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] for her services to education in 1997,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/54794/supplement/17 |title=Listing |date=13 June 1997 |website=www.thegazette.co.uk |access-date=8 July 2017 |archive-date=20 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020231116/https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/54794/supplement/17 |url-status=live }}</ref> became a director of the group later that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/NI032994/officers|title=Strabane Community Unemployed Group|publisher=Companies House|access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref>

==Transport==

===Railways===
[[File:Bridge across the River Foyle at Lifford - geograph.org.uk - 1320289.jpg|thumb|[[Lifford Bridge|The Lifford Bridge]], linking [[Lifford]] in the [[Republic of Ireland|Republic]] and Strabane in the [[Northern Ireland|North]]]]
[[File:Abercorn Square, Strabane (01), January 2010.JPG|thumb|Abercorn Square, Strabane]]
The [[Irish gauge]] {{RailGauge|5ft3in}} [[Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway]] (L&ER) reached Strabane in 1847,<ref name=Hajducki3>{{cite book|last=Hajducki|first=S. Maxwell|year=1974|title=A Railway Atlas of Ireland|location=Newton Abbott|publisher=[[David & Charles]]|isbn=0-7153-5167-2|at=map 3}}</ref> [[Omagh]] in 1852<ref name=Hajducki7>Hajducki, 1974, map 7</ref> and [[Enniskillen]] in 1854.<ref name=Hajducki7/> The [[Great Northern Railway (Ireland)]] took over the L&ER in 1883.<ref>{{cite book|last=Patterson|first=Edward M.|year=1962|title=The County Donegal Railways|publisher=[[David & Charles]]|location=Dawlish|pages=10–11}}</ref>

The [[Finn Valley Railway]] (FV) opened from Strabane to [[Stranorlar]] in 1863.<ref name=Hajducki7/><ref name=Hajducki6>Hajducki, 1974, map 6</ref> The FV was originally Irish gauge but in 1892 it merged with the {{RailGauge|3ft}} [[narrow gauge]] [[West Donegal Railway]] (WD) to form the Donegal Railway<ref name=HajduckiXI>Hajducki, 1974, page xi</ref> and was reduced to the same narrow gauge for through running. The Donegal Railway opened its own line to Derry in 1900.<ref name=Hajducki3/> In 1906 the GNR and [[Northern Counties Committee]] jointly took over the Donegal Railway, making it the [[County Donegal Railways Joint Committee]].<ref name=HajduckiXI/> The {{RailGauge|3ft}} gauge [[Strabane and Letterkenny Railway]] opened in 1909<ref name=Hajducki3/> and was worked by the Joint Committee.<ref name=HajduckiXI/>

The [[partition of Ireland]] in 1922 turned the boundary with County Donegal into an international frontier. This changed trade patterns to the railways' detriment and placed border posts on the Joint Committee's FV and S&L lines and on the GNR line to Derry.<ref name=Hajducki3/> Stops for [[customs]] inspections greatly delayed trains and disrupted timekeeping. Over the next few years customs agreements between the two states enabled GNR trains between Strabane and Derry to pass through the Free State without inspection unless they were scheduled to serve local stations on the west bank of the Foyle, and for goods on all railways to be carried between different parts of the Free State to pass through Northern Ireland under [[Bonded warehouse|customs bond]]. The Joint Committee's Strabane-Derry line was closed in 1954, followed by the remainder of the narrow gauge system in 1960.<ref name=Hajducki39>Hajducki, 1974, map 39</ref> In 1958 the [[Ulster Transport Authority]] took over the remaining GNR lines on the Northern Ireland side of the border. In accordance with [[Ulster Transport Authority#The Benson Report|The Benson Report]] submitted to the Northern Ireland Government in 1963, the UTA closed the former GNR line through Strabane to Derry in 1965.<ref name=Hajducki39/><ref>{{cite book|last=Baker|first=Michael H.C.|year=1972|title=Irish Railways since 1916|location=London, UK|publisher=[[Ian Allan Publishing|Ian Allan]]|isbn=0-7110-0282-7 |pages=153, 207}}</ref>

Little trace remains of Strabane's railways except for one old railway building that survives in the town. The nearest railway is operated by [[Northern Ireland Railways]] and runs from [[Derry ~ Londonderry railway station|Derry~Londonderry railway station]] via [[Coleraine]] to [[Lanyon Place railway station|Belfast Lanyon Place railway station]] and [[Belfast Grand Central station]]. The [[Belfast-Derry railway line]] has been upgraded to facilitate more frequent trains.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-40478392| title=Translink start new hourly train service to Londonderry| website=BBC News| date=3 July 2017}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{bar box
|title = National Identity of Strabane residents (2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=National Identity (Irish) |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_IRISH_AGG3&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000638 |website=NISRA |access-date=21 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=National Identity (Northern Irish) |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_NORTHERN_IRISH_AGG3&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000638 |website=NISRA |access-date=21 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=National Identity (British) |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_BRITISH&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000638 |website=NISRA |access-date=21 August 2023}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd |left1=Nationality |right1=Per cent |float=right
|bars =
{{bar percent|Irish|DarkOrchid|67.4}}
{{bar percent|Northern Irish|grey|25.1}}
{{bar percent|British|Blue|8.4}}
}}
===2021 census===
On census day 2021, there were 13,507 people living in Strabane.<ref>{{cite web |title=Religion or religion brought up in |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=RELIGION_BELONG_TO_OR_BROUGHT_UP_IN_DVO&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000638 |website=NISRA |access-date=15 August 2023}}</ref> Of these:
* 20.93% were aged under 16, 62.89% were aged between 16 and 65, and 16.18% were aged 66 and over;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Preview data for your table {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=AGE_BAND_AGG3&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000638 |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}}</ref>
* 51.83% of the usually resident population were female and 48.17% were male;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Preview data for Sex (MS-A07) {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=UR_SEX&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000638 |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}}</ref>
* 91.96% (12,241) belong to or were brought up in the Catholic faith, 5.46% (738) belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' denominations, 0.65% (88) belong to other religions and 1.92% (260) had no religious background.
* 6.77% only identified as 'British', 63.98% only identified as 'Irish', 21.60% only identified as 'Northern Irish', 0.4% identity as 'both Irish and British', 0.64% identified as 'both British and Northern Irish', 2.39% identified as 'both Irish and Northern Irish', 0.38% identified as 'Irish, British and Northern Irish', and 3.83% identified as 'Other';<ref>{{Cite web |title=Preview data for National identity (person based) - basic detail (classification 1) (MS-B15) {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_BASIC&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000638 |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}}</ref>
* 19.57% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaeilge), and 2.65% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Preview data for Knowledge of Irish (MS-B05) {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=IRISH_SKILLS_INTERMEDIATE&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000638 |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Preview data for Knowledge of Ulster-Scots (MS-B08) {{!}} NISRA Flexible Table Builder |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/viewdata?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=ULSTER_SCOTS_SKILLS_INTERMEDIATE&~SETTLEMENT15=N11000638 |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=build.nisra.gov.uk}}</ref>

===2011 census===
On census day 2011 (27 March 2011), there were 13,172 people living in Strabane (5,123 households), accounting for 0.73% of the NI total,<ref name=Census2011/> representing a decline of 2.2% on the census 2001 population of 13,456.<ref name=Census2001>{{cite web | url = https://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/PivotGrid.aspx?ds=4840&lh=69&yn=2001&sk=135&sn=Census%202001&yearfilter=2001 | title = Census 2001 Usually Resident Population: KS01 (Settlements) - Table view | page = 6 | publisher = [[Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency]] (NISRA) | access-date = 10 August 2019 | archive-date = 23 September 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210923152256/https://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/Home.aspx | url-status = live }}</ref> Of these:

* 23.00% were aged under 16 years and 13.19% were aged 65 and over;
* 52.32% of the usually resident population were female and 47.68% were male;
* 91.57% belong to or were brought up in the Catholic  Christian faith and 7.22% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related)' denominations;
* 56.03% had an Irish national identity, 33.54% had a Northern Irish national identity and 12.03% had a British national identity (respondents could indicate more than one national identity);
* 36 years was the average (median) age of the population;
* 17.43% had some knowledge of Irish (Gaeilge) and 3.49% had some knowledge of Ulster-Scots.

==Politics==
As of 2015, Strabane and Derry councils joined to form [[Derry City and Strabane District Council]], and have a strong nationalist majority. At the [[2011 Northern Ireland local elections|local elections in May 2011]], members of Strabane District Council were elected from the following political parties: 8 [[Sinn Féin]], 4 [[Democratic Unionist Party]] (DUP), 1 [[Social Democratic and Labour Party]] (SDLP), 1 [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP) and 2 Independent [[Irish nationalism|Nationalist]]. The council chairperson for 2013-14 was Ruairí McHugh of Sinn Féin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://highlandradio.com/2013/06/06/51897/|title=Sinn Fein Cllr Ruiari McHugh has been appointed as new chair of Strabane District Council|date=6 June 2013|newspaper=Highland Radio|access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref>

Since 1997 Strabane has been part of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom parliamentary]] constituency of [[West Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)|West Tyrone]], held since 2001 by Sinn Féin's [[Pat Doherty (Northern Ireland politician)|Pat Doherty]]. From 1983 to 1997 it was part of the [[Foyle (UK Parliament constituency)|Foyle]] constituency, held during that time by the then-SDLP leader [[John Hume]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.strabaneweekly.co.uk/news/2020/08/08/gallery/an-ordinary-man-who-shaped-a-better-future-for-us-all-here-10825/|title='An ordinary man who shaped a better future for us all here'|date=8 August 2020|newspaper=Strabane Weekly|access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref>

==Culture==
===Sport===
The local [[Gaelic football]] team is [[Strabane Sigersons]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/grants/0031038476|title=Strabane Sigersons GAA - Project|publisher=The Community Fund|accessdate=3 December 2022}}</ref>

[[Strabane Cricket Club]] and [[Fox Lodge Cricket Club]] are members of the [[North West Senior League]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.derryjournal.com/sport/cricket/eglinton-to-host-mens-north-west-senior-final-3361515|title=Eglinton to host men's North West senior final|date=26 August 2021|newspaper=Derry Journal| access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref>

[[Strabane Athletic F.C.]] play in the [[Northern Ireland Intermediate League]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://causewaychronicle.co.uk/maiden-city-crowned-league-champions/|title=Congratulations to Maiden City, who are the 2021/22 Northern Ireland Intermediate League Champions|publisher=Causeway Chronicle|date=15 May 2022|access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref>

The town has three golf courses<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discoveringireland.com/strabane/|title=Strabane|website=www.discoveringireland.com|language=en|access-date=24 July 2018|archive-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725033720/https://www.discoveringireland.com/strabane/|url-status=live}}</ref> prominent among which is the 18-hole Strabane Golf Course.

Angling has historically been popular in the Strabane area.{{fact|date=January 2025}} The town and immediate countryside is served by several rivers, with lough fishing at Moorlough and Lough Ash. Strabane is situated at the confluence of the rivers Mourne and Finn where they meet to form the Foyle. Strabane Glen, a steep wooded gorge adjacent to the town, is a designated ASSI (Area of Special Scientific Interest).{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

===Irish language===
Strabane has an Irish-medium nursery, ''Naíscoil an tSratha Báin'', which was founded in 1994,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaelphobal.com/e/scoil2.asp|title=Naíscoil an tSratha Báin|access-date=30 June 2015|archive-date=11 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011031256/http://www.gaelphobal.com/e/scoil2.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> and a Gaelscoil (primary school).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaelscoiluidhochartaigh.com/our_school_index.htm|access-date=30 June 2015|title=History of Gaelscoil Uí Dhochartaigh|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312222143/http://www.gaelscoiluidhochartaigh.com/our_school_index.htm|archive-date=12 March 2012}}</ref>

A common greeting in Strabane and the wider North West is "Have ye any bars?" This means "What's the news?" or "What's the latest gossip?"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Quinn |first1=Andrew |title=30 words and phrases only Derry 'wans' will know |url=https://www.derryjournal.com/lifestyle/30-words-and-phrases-only-derry-wans-will-know-1-7965832 |access-date=5 November 2018 |date=17 May 2017 |language=en |archive-date=5 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105202545/https://www.derryjournal.com/lifestyle/30-words-and-phrases-only-derry-wans-will-know-1-7965832 |url-status=live }}</ref> This may derive from Irish, from the phrase "barr nuachta," meaning "titbit," referring to a tasty piece of news.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.teanglann.ie/en/eid/titbit|title=English-Irish Dictionary|date=1959|access-date=5 November 2018|archive-date=5 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105202649/https://www.teanglann.ie/en/eid/titbit|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Music and arts===
[[File:Let the Dance Begin (The Tinnies) - geograph.org.uk - 83262.jpg|thumb|The sculpture known locally as ''The Tinnies'' on the outskirts of Strabane, beside the roundabout near the [[Lifford]] turn-off]]
In 2007, the [[Alley Theatre (Strabane)|Alley Arts and Conference Centre]] (designed by architects [[Glenn Howells]] and [[Alan Jones (architect)|AJA]])<ref name="Alley">{{cite web |title=Alley Arts & Conference Centre |url=https://glennhowells.co.uk/project/alley-arts-conference-centre/ |website=Glenn Howells |access-date=9 January 2020 |archive-date=25 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025050535/https://www.glennhowells.co.uk/project/alley-arts-conference-centre/ |url-status=live }}</ref> opened to the general public, offering a 270-seat theatre, art gallery, tourist information centre and cafe-bar. The venue was Northern Ireland Building of the Year in 2008,<ref name="Alley"/> and won the Allianz Arts and Business Award 2009<ref name="DerryJ">{{cite news |title=Excellence award for Strabane's Alley Theatre |url=https://www.derryjournal.com/business/excellence-award-for-strabane-s-alley-theatre-1-2133645 |access-date=9 January 2020 |work=Derry Journal |date=19 January 2009}}</ref> and the Green Apple Award 2008. It has also hosted the All Ireland Confined Drama Finals (2008), the North West Music Festival, the Stage Write Schools Drama Festival, Sounds Like Summer Music Festival, Strabane Drama Festival, and the Johnny Crampsie Music Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.johnnycrampsie.com/|title=Johnny Crampsie|date=7 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107034439/http://www.johnnycrampsie.com/ |archive-date=7 January 2010 }}</ref>

Strabane plays host to a [[Saint Patrick's Day]] Parade each year. One of Strabane's most notable features are five {{convert|20|ft|m|abbr=on}} steel structures on the banks of the river. Designed by [[Maurice Harron]], they consist of two dancers and a fiddle player on the Lifford side, a flute player on the Strabane side and a drummer in the middle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mauriceharron.com|title=Maurice Harron-Artist-sculptor|publisher=Mauriceharron.com|access-date=2 May 2012|archive-date=17 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317050837/http://www.mauriceharron.com/|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://veryderry.com/db/location.php?pano=25|title=The Tinneys|publisher=Very Derry|access-date=2 May 2012|archive-date=12 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312222144/http://veryderry.com/db/location.php?pano=25|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Religion==
[[File:Sacred Heart RC Church, Strabane - geograph.org.uk - 83279.jpg|thumb|Sacred Heart Roman Catholic church.]]
[[File:Christ Church, Strabane (01), January 2010.JPG|thumb|upright|Christ Church (Church of Ireland) in Strabane]]

According to the 2011 census, 91.57% of the residents were from a [[Catholic]] background and 7.22% were from a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] background.<ref name=Census2011/> There are a number of places of worship for the residents of Strabane and the surrounding district. The three main Catholic churches are the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Barrack Street, Sacred Heart Church, Derry Road and St. Mary's Church, Melmount Road.<ref>{{cite web|title=Strabane (Camus) Parish|url=http://www.strabane-parish.com|access-date=19 November 2018|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119173647/http://www.strabane-parish.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The main Church of Ireland church is Christ Church, Bowling Green.<ref>{{cite web|title=Christ Church, Strabane|url=http://www.strabane.derry.anglican.org|access-date=19 November 2018|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119173520/http://www.strabane.derry.anglican.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> The main Presbyterian Church is located on the Derry Road while the main Methodist Church is located on Railway Street.<ref>{{cite web|title=Methodist Church - Strabane|url=https://www.irishmethodist.org/church/strabane|access-date=19 November 2018|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119173439/https://www.irishmethodist.org/church/strabane|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
There are a number of infant, primary and secondary schools in the Strabane area. The central location of the town allows parents the choice of schools in [[Derry]], [[Omagh]] and [[Donegal (town)|Donegal]].

There are two secondary schools in the town: [[Holy Cross College, Strabane|Holy Cross College]] and [[Strabane Grammar School|Strabane Academy]]. Holy Cross College was created in 2003 with the amalgamation of Strabane's three Catholic post-primary schools, the Convent Grammar School, St Colman's High School and Our Lady of Mercy High School. The college had been operating across the three sites until its new £29 million building opened in September 2009, catering for 1,400 pupils. Holy Cross is a co-ed bilateral college, which means it offers grammar status education within an all-ability school. It is regarded as a "blueprint for the future of education in Northern Ireland" because it caters for both academic and vocational paths.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.derryjournal.com/news/holy-cross-college-hailed-as-a-beacon-1-2132172|title=Holy Cross College hailed as a beacon|access-date=9 June 2018|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141615/https://www.derryjournal.com/news/holy-cross-college-hailed-as-a-beacon-1-2132172|url-status=live}}</ref> The other secondary school is Strabane Academy which was formed in 2011 when [[Strabane Grammar School]] merged with [[Strabane High School]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Strabane Academy|url=https://www.strabaneacademy.co.uk|access-date=19 November 2018|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119173622/https://www.strabaneacademy.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The North West Regional College, which has campuses in [[Derry]], [[Limavady]] as well as Strabane, offers a range of vocational and non-vocational courses for post 16 year olds.<ref>{{cite web|title=NWRC|url=http://www.nwrc.ac.uk|access-date=19 November 2018|archive-date=22 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822214425/http://www.nwrc.ac.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Places of interest==
The [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]] owns a Strabane shop in which [[John Dunlap]] learnt the printing trade. Dunlap went on to print the [[United States Declaration of Independence]].<ref name=dunlap>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/the-irishman-who-printed-the-us-declaration-of-independence-1.3085021|title=The Irishman who printed the United States Declaration of Independence|date=20 May 2017|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref>

[[Dergalt]], the ancestral home of [[Woodrow Wilson]], 28th [[President of the United States]], is near Strabane.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.geographia.com/northern-ireland/ukiher01.htm#Tyrone|title=World Travel Destinations, Culture and History Guide|publisher=Geographia|date=3 October 2006|access-date=2 May 2012|archive-date=27 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227201146/http://www.geographia.com/northern-ireland/ukiher01.htm#Tyrone|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Walworth |first=Arthur |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mbd2AAAAMAAJ |title=Woodrow Wilson: American prophet |date=1958 |publisher=Longman's Green |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-03-01 |title=Woodrow Wilson: A brief portrait of the 28th President of the United States |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-21632085 |access-date=2023-08-17}}</ref> On 8 May 2008 it was severely damaged by a fire.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7390179.stm|title=BBC News|date=8 May 2008|access-date=30 June 2015|archive-date=9 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509180642/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7390179.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2014, a mural was painted in Townsend Street with the intention of showing support for the people of Palestine following [[State of Israel|Israeli]] military action in [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://highlandradio.com/2014/08/16/strabane-artists-gaining-worldwide-recognition-for-gaza-mural/|title=Strabane artists gaining worldwide recognition for Gaza mural|date=16 August 2014|newspaper=Highland Radio| access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref>

==Communications==
[[Strabane transmitting station]] is a [[broadcasting]] and [[telecommunications]] facility owned and operated by [[Arqiva]]. It includes a 305.5 metre (1,002&nbsp;ft) high [[Radio masts and towers#Steel lattice|guyed steel lattice mast]], which is [[List of tallest buildings and structures in Ireland|the tallest structure in Ireland]]. The transmission [[Antenna (radio)|antennas]] surmounting the structure are contained within a fibreglass cylinder. Constructed in 1963, it came into service on 18 February of that year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebigtower.com/live/Strabane/index.htm|title=TheBigTower Strabane Transmitter|access-date=2021-09-26|archive-date=2016-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407113008/http://www.thebigtower.com/live/Strabane/index.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{See also|Category:People from Strabane}}
*[[Paul Brady]], singer-songwriter<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/strabane-singer-paul-brady-i-regret-slating-u2-42014511.html|title=Strabane singer Paul Brady: I regret slating U2|date=26 September 2022|newspaper=The Belfast Courier|access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[Burke and Hare murders|William Burke]], 19th century serial killer, from [[Urney, County Tyrone|Urney]], a Strabane townland<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://strabanehistorysociety.org/famous-people-2/|title=Famous People – Strabane History Society Website|website=strabanehistorysociety.org|access-date=24 July 2018|archive-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725033331/http://strabanehistorysociety.org/famous-people-2/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester|Sir Guy Carleton]] (Lord Dorchester), [[Governor of the Province of Quebec]] & [[Governor General of British North America]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/carleton-sir-guy-a1478|title=Carleton, Sir Guy|publisher=Dictionary of Irish Biography|access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[Declan Curry]], [[BBC One]] correspondent<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8152749.stm|title=Strabane homecoming for Curry|work=BBC News|date=15 July 2009|access-date=15 July 2009}}</ref>
*[[Adrian Doherty]], former footballer for [[Manchester United]] and [[Derry City FC]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishnews.com/paywall/tsb/irishnews/irishnews/irishnews/sport/footballsoccer/2016/05/19/news/strabane-wonderkid-adrian-doherty-could-have-been-a-star-525116/content.html|title=Strabane wonderkid Adrian Doherty could have been a star|date=19 May 2016|newspaper=The Irish News|access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[Kathleen Dolan]], RTÉ Radio's first female radio announcer<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-02-16 |title=Sit on my lap if you're against war |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/sit-on-my-lap-if-youre-against-war/26229010.html |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=Independent.ie |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Ryan Dolan]], singer for Ireland at the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2013]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Strabane singer Ryan Dolan for Eurovision final|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-22536851|work=BBC News|date=15 May 2013 |access-date=19 May 2013|archive-date=11 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611053011/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-22536851|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Brian Dooher]], member of the 2003, 2005 and 2008 All-Ireland winning Tyrone [[Gaelic football]] teams.<ref>{{cite news | title = Dooher to stay as Tyrone captain | url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/7179826.stm | date = 2008-01-08 | access-date = 2020-09-01 | work = [[BBC Sport]] | archive-date = 13 January 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080113042433/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/7179826.stm | url-status = live }}</ref>
*[[Hugo Duncan]], popular entertainer and [[BBC Radio Ulster]] presenter<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/people/catching-up-with-the-wee-man-from-strabane-3535976|title='Everyone loves the best of country music across Ulster - it unites us'|date=25 January 2022|newspaper=News Letter| access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[John Dunlap]], printer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence]]<ref name=dunlap/>
*[[Andrew Frederick Gault]] (1833–1903), merchant, industrialist, and philanthropist known as the Cotton King of Canada.<ref>{{cite DCB |first=Michael |last=Hinton |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gault_andrew_frederick_13E.html |title=Gault, Andrew Frederick |volume=13 | access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[Matthew Hamilton Gault]], financier and politician at [[Montreal]]<ref>{{cite DCB |first=Gladys Barbara |last1=Pollack |first2=Gerald J.J. |last2=Tulchinsky |title=Gault, Mathew (Matthew) Hamilton |volume=11 |url=https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gault_mathew_hamilton_11E.html |access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[Matthew Holmes (politician)|Matthew Holmes]], New Zealand runholder and politician<ref>{{cite book |last= Burke |first= Bernard |title= Burke's Colonial Gentry |edition= 2 |orig-year= 1891 |year= 1970 |publisher=Genealogical Publishing Company |location= Baltimore, Ohio |isbn= 0-8063-0415-4 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/genealogicalhera0000burk/page/201 201,202] |url= https://archive.org/details/genealogicalhera0000burk/page/201 }}</ref>
*[[Chipzel|Niamh Houston]], better known as Chipzel, is a musician known for her 8-bit music<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-21612792|title=British Academy Game Awards: Strabane woman Niamh Houston nominated|date=5 March 2013|newspaper=BBC| access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[Annie Scott Dill Maunder|Annie Russell Maunder]], astronomer<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Fletcher|first1=Lyndsay|last2=Dalla|first2=Silvia|date=2016-10-01|title=A pioneer of solar astronomy Women & The RAS: Annie Maunder|journal=Astronomy & Geophysics|language=en|volume=57|issue=5|pages=5.21–5.23|doi=10.1093/astrogeo/atw181|issn=1366-8781|doi-access=free}}</ref>
*[[Pearse McAuley]], [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] member jailed for the [[Death of Jerry McCabe|killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/37029.stm|work=BBC News|title=Jail breaker on police killing charge|access-date=30 June 2015}}</ref>
*[[Flann O'Brien]], best known [[pseudonym]] of [[Brian O'Nolan]], 20th century bilingual (but Irish-mother-tongue) satirist and humourist.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.northernirelandworld.com/news/blue-plaque-for-strabanes-flann-obrien-2787609|title=Blue plaque for Strabane's Flann O'Brien|date=23 September 2011|newspaper=Northern Ireland World| access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[Stephen O'Neill]], member of the Tyrone [[Gaelic football]] team.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-30345888.html|title=O'Neill calls time on inter-county career|date=24 January 2008|newspaper=The Irish Examiner| access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[Robert Patterson]] (1792–1881), Irish-American major general<ref>{{cite book |last1=Patterson |first1=Lindsay |title=The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. XXXIX |date=1915 |publisher=The Historical Society of Pennsylvania |location=Philadelphia |page=80 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h9kXkGfMGHQC |access-date=8 December 2023}}</ref>
*[[Rory Patterson]], Football striker currently playing for [[Derry City F.C.]] in the Irish [[League of Ireland]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.strabaneweekly.co.uk/football/2021/11/03/gallery/four-goal-patterson-refuses-to-take-the-plaudits-as-strabane-athletic-make-it-three-from-three-19559/|title=Four-goal Patterson refuses to take the plaudits as Strabane Athletic make it three from three|date=3 November 2021|newspaper=Strabane Weekly News|access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[George Sigerson|Dr George Sigerson]], Gaelic activist; namesake of the [[Sigerson Cup]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ulsterhistorycircle.org.uk/george-sigerson/|title=George Sigerson|date=18 April 2015 |publisher=Ulster History Circle| access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[H.G. Simms]], Chairman of the [[Shanghai Municipal Council]] (1922–23)<ref>North China Herald, 20 October 1923, p179</ref>
*[[Robert Welch (photographer)|Robert Welch]], photographer and conchologist<ref>{{Cite web|title=Robert John Welch|date=18 April 2015 |url=https://ulsterhistorycircle.org.uk/robert-john-welch/|publisher=Ulster History Circle| access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Commons category|Strabane}}
*[[List of localities in Northern Ireland by population]]
*[[Strabane (barony)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312055143/http://www.strabanehistorysociety.com/ Strabane History Society]

{{NorthernIrishTowns}}
{{County Tyrone}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Strabane| ]]
[[Category:Former boroughs in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border crossings]]
[[Category:Towns in County Tyrone]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in County Tyrone]]