Coagh

Coordinates: 54°38′52″N 6°37′06″W / 54.6477°N 6.6184°W / 54.6477; -6.6184

Coagh (/ˈkoʊk/, from Irish: Cuach, meaning "a round hill") is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, situated five miles (8 km) east of Cookstown. Part of the village also extends into County Londonderry. It had a population of 545 people in the 2001 Census. It owes its existence to George Butle Conyngham of Springhill, and was founded in 1728 when King George II of Great Britain granted Conyngham a market charter allowing the village to host four fairs per year.

The village nestles among gentle, low-lying land between the Sperrins and Lough Neagh. The main feature of the village is Hanover Square, which was named after the reigning Hanoverian George II by Conyngham. The village has been an ancient settlement for several thousand years; overlooking Coagh is Tamlaght Stone, a [Mesolithic]] dolmen erected c. 4500 BCE.

History

The Troubles

See The Troubles in Coagh, which includes a list of incidents in Coagh during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities. On 3 June 1991, Provisional IRA members Lawrence McNally (38), Peter Ryan (37) and Tony Doris (21) were killed in an ambush by an SAS unit. The British Army stated that the PIRA members had been intercepted on their way to an attack. Over 200 rounds were fired at the car.

Coagh ambush

The Coagh ambush took place on 3 June 1991, when a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit from the East Tyrone Brigade was ambushed by the Special Air Service (SAS) in the village of Coagh, County Tyrone. The three-man IRA team was on its way to kill a part-time member of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR). Eight SAS members opened fire on the IRA unit's car, killing the three men and causing the car to burst into flames.

Background

In May 1987, an eight-man unit of the Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade was ambushed and shot dead by a Special Air Service (SAS) unit seconds after bombing the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base at Loughgall, County Armagh. The SAS also killed a civilian who had accidentally driven into the ambush. This was the IRA's greatest loss of life in a single incident during its campaign. Despite this major setback, IRA activity in East Tyrone didn't lessen in the following years.

In August 1988, the SAS shot dead another three IRA members who were stalking a UDR soldier near Carrickmore. British intelligence sources claimed the men were involved in the Ballygawley bus bombing, which killed eight British soldiers and injured 28. The British military had to ferry its troops in and out of East Tyrone by helicopter as result of the Ballygawley bombing.