Things to do in County Tyrone

Altinaghree Castle is a derelict castle situated on private farmland outside Donemana, south of Londonderry in County Tyrone. The castle is also known as Altnacree Castle, Liscloon House, and is known locally as Ogilby's Castle. It was once a large elegant building with magnificent banquet room, but is now in ruins. The building is constructed from cut stone. Facilities The castle is on private land and is not open to the public, but can be seen and photographed from the main Dunamanagh - Claudy Road (B49). The castle is believed to have been built by William Ogilby around 1860. James Douglas Ogilby, who later became a famous ichthyologist in Australia was the son of William Ogilby. James fell in love with a factory seamstress, Mary Jane Jamieson, and was denied permission to marry her. He ended up eloping and marrying her in 1884. He moved to Australia where he was appointed to the Australian Museum in 1885. The castle was abandoned by the end of the century and fell into disrepair.

Beaghmore Stone Circles on Davagh Moor in County Tyrone is one of the most remarkable prehistoric sites in Ireland, a complex of seven stone circles, multiple stone rows and a series of cairns arranged across an open moorland landscape that has survived in exceptional condition largely because of the acidic peat that preserved it for millennia. The site dates from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age periods, spanning roughly 3000 to 1200 BC, and represents one of the most complex and least-understood stone monument complexes in Ireland. The site was not discovered until the 1940s when peat-cutting in the area revealed the monument complex, which had been buried and preserved beneath the growing blanket bog for several thousand years. This buried preservation is the reason for the exceptional survival of the stones, which in many cases still retain their original positions and relationships to each other, providing archaeological evidence of a quality and completeness unusual in upland contexts. The peat cutting continues around the margins of the site, which is now managed as a scheduled monument, and the relationship between the ancient monuments and the working landscape of the modern turf banks around them is part of Beaghmore's distinctive character. The function of the monument complex remains uncertain. The arrangement of stone rows apparently aligning on astronomical targets including sunrise and moonrise positions suggests a cosmological or calendrical purpose, while the cairns likely served as burial monuments. The overall pattern may have served as a ceremonial landscape used for multiple purposes over an extended period rather than as a single-function monument. Beaghmore invites contemplation and interpretation rather than offering simple answers, which is part of its enduring fascination for visitors. The moorland setting of Davagh adds to the atmosphere of the site. The open, treeless bog, the distant Sperrin Mountains and the wide skies of County Tyrone create a landscape that feels very little changed from the period in which the monuments were constructed.

Harry Avery's Castle near Newtownstewart in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, is a ruined fourteenth-century castle associated with Henry Aimhréidh O'Neill, a powerful chief of the O'Neill dynasty who ruled this part of Ulster in the early fourteenth century. The castle is distinctive for its twin towers flanking the entrance gateway, an architectural feature more typical of Anglo-Norman castle design than of the native Irish building tradition, suggesting the O'Neill chief had access to skilled castle builders familiar with advanced military architecture of the period. The castle is in the care of the Historic Environment Division and is freely accessible on a hilltop providing views across the Strule valley and the surrounding Sperrins uplands.

Mountjoy Castle has a commanding elevated position overlooking Lough Neagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, built by Lord Mountjoy, the Lord Deputy of Ireland who brought the Nine Years' War to a conclusion with his decisive campaign against Hugh O'Neill in 1601-02. The castle was constructed as a strategic fortification to control the western approach to Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in Ireland and Britain, and to consolidate English military control over this part of central Ulster following the defeat of the great Gaelic Ulster chieftains. The brick and stone construction of the four-square castle with circular angle towers is unusual in an Irish context and reflects English military building practice of the early seventeenth century. The castle is now a substantial ruin overlooking the lough and is accessible to visitors.

The Sperrin Mountains in County Tyrone are the largest upland area in Northern Ireland, a broad plateau of rounded moorland summits covering over 400 square kilometres between the Londonderry and Tyrone borders that provides the finest and most extensive upland walking landscape in Ulster and a landscape of deep historical and archaeological significance. The mountains are less visited than the more dramatic Mournes but provide a landscape of genuine character whose wide horizons, blanket bog and scattered archaeological monuments from the Neolithic to the early Christian periods create an experience of undisturbed upland Ireland quite unlike the more popular destinations of the province. The highest point, Sawel Mountain at 678 metres, provides views across Northern Ireland and into the Republic on clear days, and the extensive ridge walking available in the central Sperrins traverses moorland of great character and openness. The Ulster Way long-distance walking route crosses the Sperrins and provides a framework for exploring the range over several days. The archaeological heritage of the Sperrins is exceptional and largely unvisited. The Beaghmore Stone Circles near Cookstown, a complex of seven stone circles, twelve stone rows and a cairn of the Bronze Age, are among the most significant prehistoric monuments in Ulster, their unusual configuration and the density of the complex providing evidence of elaborate ceremonial use of this upland landscape. The cairns, megalithic tombs and ring forts scattered across the mountain range complete a picture of sustained human occupation from the Neolithic to the medieval period. The An Creagán Visitor Centre provides an excellent introduction to the Sperrins landscape and its archaeological heritage, and organised guided walks offer access to the more remote monuments.

Stewart Castle near Newtownstewart in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, is a ruined plantation-era tower house associated with the Stewart family, Scottish settlers who established themselves in this part of Tyrone during the Plantation of Ulster in the early seventeenth century. The castle occupies a position in the Strule valley in the foothills of the Sperrins, the long mountain range that forms the backbone of central Ulster and provides some of the finest upland walking in Northern Ireland. The town of Newtownstewart was planted by the Stewarts and retains its plantation town character in its street layout and the various stone buildings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, providing one of the more coherent examples of a plantation settlement in County Tyrone.