STRABANE

Irish An Srath Bn town, seat, and district (established 1973), formerly in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The town is located on the River Mourne at its confluence with the Finn to form the River Foyle near the Irish Republic border. It is a market and employment centre for both Strabane district and County Donegal, Irish Republic, to the west. Long a flax-spinning centre, the town of Sion Mills, 3 mi (5 km) south of Strabane, now also has large mills spinning synthetic fibres. Strabane district has an area of 333 sq mi (862 sq km) and is bordered by the districts of Londonderry and Limavady to the north, Magherafelt to the east, Omagh to the south, and the Irish Republic to the west. Originally inhabited by the ancient O'Neill clan of Ulster, the district was more recently settled (17th century) by Scots Protestants. Strabane district is composed of river valleys and rolling lowlands and rises to the heather-covered moorlands of the Sperrin Mountains (and altitudes of more than 2,230 ft above sea level) in the east. Low-lying areas of the district are grazed by cattle, sheep, and pigs. Salmon fishing is popular in the district's many rivers, and the town of Castlederg in the isolated west is known for its manufacture of tweeds. Pop. (1981) town, 10,340; district, 34,371.