DERRYLORAN, a parish, partly in the barony of LOUGHINSHOLIN, county of LONDONDERRY, but chiefly in that of DUNGANNON, county of TYRONE, and province of ULSTER, on the road from Armagh to Coleraine, and from Omagh to Belfast ; containing, with the post-town of Cookstown, 8406 inhabitants.
It comprises, according to the Ordnance Survey, 12,100- statute acres, of which 9656- are in Tyrone, and 2443- in Londonderry. There are 400 acres of woodland and 100 of bog; the remainder is arable and pasture land: the Drapers' Company of London are the chief proprietors.
The soil is fertile and well cultivated, and the bog is very valuable as fuel. The parish is well fenced and watered by the river Ballinderry, and ornamented with the plantations of Killymoon and Loughry, which, with the other seats, are more particularly noticed in the article on COOKSTOWN, which see.
The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate, the tithes amount to £552. 8.
- The glebe-house was built in 1820, by aid of a gift of £100 and a loan of £1050 from the late Board of First Fruits. The glebe consists of 71 acres.
- The church, situated in Cookstown, was built in 1822, by the aid of a loan of £3000 from the same Board, and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £283 for its repair.
In the R. C. divisions the parish is united to that of Desertereight and contains a chapel at Cookstown, where are also four dissenting meeting-houses.
Besides the schools in Cookstown, there are schools for both sexes at Ballygroogan, Tubberlane, Killycurragh, and Derrycrummy, aided by annual donations from Lord Castle-Steuart ; two at Cloghoge ; and one at Gortolery, aided by collections at the R.C. chapel.
