Cookstown

The town is named for Dr Alan Cooke who founded it circa 1620 as an Ulster Plantation town, but for 150 years it didn't get going. Then it grew with the linen industry, acquiring its famously long wide main street, and the railway arrived. The 20th century collapse of textile trades and the sectarian Troubles fed upon each other and Cookstown slumped. In the 21st century it's slowly reviving through the Good Friday Agreement peace and as a commuter town for Belfast but remains a work in progress.

Medieval Kings of Tyrone, the O'Neill dynasty, were inaugurated a couple of miles south at Tullyhogue. Notable local people include "Typhoid Mary" Mallon and the politician Bernadette Devlin McAliskey.

See Belfast for long-distance travel routes by air or sea. If you're flying in and hiring a car, there are two Belfast airports, and Dublin Airport is almost as convenient as it's north of the city, you turn straight onto the M1 north. From Belfast city follow M1 west to Dungannon then A29 into Cookstown. From Belfast or Larne ferry ports it's quicker to join M2 west to Magherafelt then A31. From Dublin branch off the motorway at Newry to follow A28 to Armagh then A29 to Dungannon and Cookstown.

Goldliner Bus 209 runs from Belfast Grand Central via Lurgan, taking 90 min to Cookstown. There are three M-Sa and two on Sunday.

It may be more convenient to take the hourly Goldliner Bus 273 from Belfast to Dungannon (heading for Omagh, Strabane and Derry). From there, Bus 80 runs to Cookstown every hour or two, for a total journey of two hours.

Ulsterbus 110 / 210 runs from Antrim via Randalstown, Castledawson, Magherafelt and Moneymore, taking 70 min to Cookstown. Five run M-F and two on Saturday.

Goldliner X4 runs five times a day from Dublin Busáras and Airport, taking 3 hours to Cookstown. It's heading to Derry but you can't ride it just for that section.

Goldliner Bus 278 runs in university term-time, with one bus Su-F from Monaghan via Armagh, Moy, Dungannon, Cookstown, Magherafelt, Garvagh and Coleraine to Ulster University, Portstewart and Portrush.

1 Cookstown bus station is on Molesworth Street a block east of main street.