{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Use Irish English|date=March 2020}} '''Melanagh''' ({{Irish derived place name|Meallanacht|O'Mellons country}}<ref name="Bell"/>) is an ancient Irish district in what is now north-eastern County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Melanagh along with Tarraghter were once part of the barony of Loughinsholin until the Plantation of Ulster, which saw them merged with the barony of Mountjoy (modern-day barony of Dungannon Upper).

Situated to the south of Slieve Gallion, Melanagh was divided into two portions. One portion lay in between Tarraghter and Killetra, in an area roughly in between the Ballinderry and Lissan Rivers. The other portion lay in between Tarraghter, Killetra, and Glenconkeyne.<ref name="1609Map"/> Both portions were connected by Tarraghters termon lands.<ref name="1609Map"/>

==History== Melanagh derives its name from the Irish ''Meallanacht'', which means "O'Mellans country". It was a termon (church land) of which the O'Mellans were the erenaghs. During the Plantation of Ulster it passed into ownership of the Church of Ireland, thus Melanagh passed into the hands of the Archbishop of Armagh, who in turn leased it to English and Scottish settlers.<ref name="BHOC"/>

In 1628, Dr. Allen Cooke, an English ecclesiastical lawyer, received a grant from King Charles I to build a market town, which was to become known as Cooke's Town (modern day Cookstown). Cooke purchased extensive areas of land in Malenagh from the Archbishop of Armagh, including the townland of "Core Criche" on which Cookstown was founded.<ref name="BHOC"/><ref name="GenForum"/>

Despite deriving from the same origin, the O'Mellans who gave their name to the district were originally located south of the Sperrin Mountains, whilst the O'Mullans were located north of them.<ref name="Bell"/>

==References== {{reflist| <ref name="Logainm">[http://www.logainm.ie/1414276.aspx Logainm] - Oritor (see archival images)</ref> <ref name="Bell">Bell, Robert: ''The Book of Ulster Surnames'', page 186. The Black Staff Press, 1988. {{ISBN|0-85640-602-3}}</ref> <ref name="GenForum">[http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/print.cgi?ireland/tyrone::1574.html GenForum] - John Houston of Donackendreg, Tyrone c.1718</ref> <ref name="BHOC">[http://home.gwi.net/ages/Heralds%20page/Cookstown%20History.html Acheson GEnealogical Society (AGES)] - A Brief History of Cookstown</ref> <ref name="1609Map">[http://www.mediastorehouse.com/map_of_loughinsholin_ireland_c1609/print/1993331.html Media Store House]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} - Map of Loughinsholin, Ireland, c1609</ref> }}

{{Tyrone-geo-stub}}

{{coord missing|County Tyrone}}

Category:Barony of Loughinsholin Category:Barony of Dungannon Upper Category:History of County Londonderry