Altmore

Altmore ("Alt Mor" in Irish) is a small hamlet in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is five miles from Carrickmore and four miles from Pomeroy. Most of the community consists of farmers who make their livelihood cattle and pig farming. It is an isolated area, though easily accessible. Most of the farms are old, though several new houses have sprung up by the side of roads. Not many people have lived in the area, so building has been limited. So the natural beauty has remained untouched.

Places of interest

*The scenery around Altmore is breathtaking, and the Mountains of Pomeroy are a dominating feature in the landscape. Ancient relics can be seen on country lanes. Their origin is unknown though they may be ancient burial grounds dating back as far as three thousand years. These can be seen at various stages on roadways along Altmore. Though modern farming methods have diminished a number of them visibly a few can still be seen.
*Altmore Fisheries - a small holiday place where locals and visitors can relax with children and stay in a caravan site. It is an ideal stop-over site for ramblers who enjoy an area of Ireland that is seldom explored and enjoy the benefit of a landscape and way of life that has changed little over the years. The site comprises static caravans and areas to erect tents; there are also log cabins which can be rented and a small shop on site.
*Altmore House - The House was built after 1734 by Patrick Shields. He married Susannah Morris the daughter of the High Sherrif of Tyrone. He had been appointed keeper of a deserted barracks higher up the mountain. That premises was converted into Barracktown House also a Shields Family Home. The Family lived permanently in the House until the 1970s when it was sold and turned into a hotel. The Hotel was blown up during the troubles on two occasions and eventually not rebuilt. The House was the birthplace of James Shields who became a well known politician in North America (being the only person to have served as a United States Senator from three different states) and a well known name during the American Civil War.
*Shane Barnagh’s Sentry Box - this is a small rocky area on the outskirts of Cappagh and Altmore. It received its fame from a highwayman (Shane Bearnnach O Donnelly) who used the mountain area as a vantage point to hold up carriages travelling on the main Dublin to Derry road nearby. A barracks was built in the Altmore area in an attempt to curb his activities but to little avail. He was never captured and his real identity remains unknown and he has over the centuries become an enigma to the area. The actual rocky area looks like a chair and has thus become known as Sean Bernard’s Chair and even St Bernard’s Chair. Apparently the highwayman seems to have assisted impoverished locals with his robberies, mainly from the gentry and he has over time become a local legend who robbed the rich and gave to the poor. He was immortalised further by the local scholar Dr. George Sigerson in his popular ballad "The Mountains of Pomeroy".

References

* [http://www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/ NI Neighbourhood Information System]

See also

*Pomeroy
*Carrickmore
*Shane Barnagh’s Sentry Box
*Shanmaghery
*List of villages in Northern Ireland
*List of towns in Northern Ireland