54°49N 7°27W, pop (2000e) 12 000. Market town in Strabane district, Tyrone, W Northern Ireland, UK; administrative centre of the district of Strabane, pop (2000e) 37 500; on the Mourne and Finn Rivers, where they meet to form the R Foyle; Irish border town; textiles, engineering, salmon fishing.
Strabane (IPA: [strə'ban]) (Irish, an tSraith Bhán, Fair River Valley or White Strand) is a town in the west of County Tyrone and the north-west of Northern Ireland. Strabane is the second largest town in the county, it stands roughly half-way between Omagh and Derry and has a population of 15,000 people.
The River Mourne flows through the centre of the town, and meets with the River Finn to form the River Foyle. Strabane suffered huge economic damage in 1987 when much of the centre of the town was flooded.
Recent history
Strabane once had the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in the European Union.
In August 2005, a Channel 4 television programme presented by property experts Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer, named Strabane as the third worst place to live in the United Kingdom, largely because of the high unemployment rate .
The Strabane transmitting station, highly visible on approach to the town, was opened in 1963 to extend the range of UTV transmissions.
The Troubles
Strabane was badly scarred by the Troubles, (it was once known as the most bombed town in Europe per size since the Second World War) beginning in the early 1970s and continuing throughout much of the 1990s, with bombings commonplace and Irish Republican paramilitary groups, mainly the Provisional Irish Republican Army, regularly attacking the bases of both the British army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) located in the town.
Many regiments from England, Scotland and Wales served in Strabane at various times during the Troubles. Some nationalists also claim that police brutality and intimidation is still common in the town, with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), (successors to the RUC), having little support in Strabane as of yet.
Recent years have seen Strabane, an overwhelmingly nationalist town, become a centre of dissident republican paramilitarism with groups such as the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), increasing in membership. "Shows of strength" have been carried out by the RIRA, mainly in the Head of the Town and Ballycolman areas of Strabane, where members of the organisation appear heavily armed with machine guns and rocket launchers.
Both the Ballycolman and Head of the Town areas suffered greatly from deprivation, unemployment and the troubles, with riots, shootings and bomb incidents in the area commonplace as well as confrontations between the police and army and the local population, especially throughout the 1970s and 80s.
The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) has carried out many high-profile armed robberies at locations such as banks and supermarkets in the town since 2001, which have tailed off since a BBC Northern Ireland Spotlight documentary highlighted the events in December 2004, although another robbery involving hostage taking occurred in October 2006 .
For more information see The Troubles in Strabane, which includes a list of incidents in Strabane as a result of the Troubles. In 1792 the four mile Strabane Canal was constructed from the tidal waters of Lough Foyle at Leck, to Strabane.
2001 Census
Strabane is classified as a Medium Town by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (ie with population between 10,000 and 18,000 people). Of these:
99.3% classed their ethnic group as white 93.3% were from a Catholic background and 6.1% were from a Protestant background 6.8% of people aged 16-74 were unemployed 27.6% were aged under 16 years and 13.7% were aged 60 and over 48.1% of the population were male and 51.9% were femaleLocal Politics
At the last council elections in May 2005, members of Strabane District Council were elected from the following political parties: 8 Sinn Féin, 3 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), 2 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), 2 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and 1 Independent Nationalist. The Strabane District Council area covers an area of 861.6 sq km and according to the 2001 Census, the council area had a total population of 38,250.
Culture
Strabane has seen a revival of Gaelic culture over the last decade. The local Gaelic football team, Strabane Sigersons, and the hurling team, Strabane Seamrogaí, are ever expanding.
One of Strabane's most striking features are five 20ft steel structures: two dancers, a fiddle player on the Lifford side, a flute player on the Strabane side and a drummer in the middle. Affectionately known locally as The Tinneys.
Strabane is twinned with Sioux Falls in South Dakota, USA, and with Zeulenroda in the District of Thuringia, Germany.
Places of interest
The wider area surrounding Strabane is scenic and very attractive with many forests and glens.
The National Trust owns the Strabane house in which John Dunlap learnt the printing trade.
Nearby Strabane is Dergalt, the ancestral home of Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States. He also wrote under the pseudonym Myles na gCopaleen Brian Dooher and Stephen O'Neill - inspirational key members of the 2003 and 2005 all-Ireland winning Tyrone Gaelic football team - Dooher captained the 2005 winning team John Dunlap - printer of the United States Declaration of Independence Paul Brady - renowned singer songwriter in Ireland and the USA Declan Curry - business correspondent on the BBC One Breakfast programme Pearse McCauley - IRA member jailed for the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in 1995 in Adare, County Limerick Gerard Ó Dochartaigh - local Gael and Irish language activist.
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