placenamesCloghcor
An Chloch Chorr
Cloghcor, north of Strabane, has a history recorded in Abercorn estate rentals and the development of Saint Mary’s Church.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- An Chloch Chorr · Irish · main form
- Cloghcor · English · main form
Place & story
The Abercorn estate
Len Swindley’s transcription of local rentals identifies Cloghcor as a 213-acre townland in the Manor of Cloghogal, part of the Abercorn estate. The 1787 rental divides it into lower, middle and upper holdings. By Griffith’s Valuation in 1858, the recorded buildings included a Catholic chapel, graveyard and national schoolhouse. [2]
Seeking a permanent church
Writing for the Diocese of Derry in 2023, Geraldine Devine records a 1785 petition from Cloughcor Catholics seeking the Earl of Abercorn’s assistance with a church site. Father William O’Kane, appointed in 1816, subsequently led the work of obtaining land and raising funds. Devine considers the basic church structure likely to have been complete in 1823, though worshippers initially stood or knelt on a clay floor. [3]
Saint Mary’s above the valley
Saint Mary’s stands on a steep hillside overlooking the Foyle Valley, beside its cemetery and remnants of Cloughcor Wood. The parish marked two centuries of worship in 2023. Successive improvements have altered the building, including major work completed in 2006. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Cloghcor. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Cloghcor Rentals, Leckpatrick Parish, 1777–1858 · Len Swindley, transcriber and compiler
- Celebrating 200 years of worship in St Mary’s Cloughcor, The Net, May 2023, p.15 · Geraldine Devine; Diocese of Derry
- St Mary's RC Church, Cloughcor, County Tyrone illustration: based on a St Mary's RC Church, Cloughcor by Kenneth Allen. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2008-09-03. How this page was prepared.