According to the 2001 census, Brookeborough had a population of 517. The economy is heavily dependent on cattle and sheep farming. There are five places of Christian worship; a Catholic church, a Methodist church (built in 1839), an Elim Pentecostal church, a Church of Ireland church and a Baptist church; two public houses; and two primary (elementary) schools.
Before the Plantation of Ulster the area of Brookeborough was known as Achadh Lon (anglicisedasAghalun), the townland in which it lies. It is believed that the Irish name refers to a "field of blackbirds". Aghalun was in the hands of the Maguire Clan until the 1641 rebellion when it was given to the Brooke family. The village was then named after Sir Henry Brooke, who was granted the village in 1666 and settled at Colebrooke Park nearby.
In 2002, the Brookeborough Community Development Association, in conjunction with a similar organisation in Riverstown, County Sligo, Republic of Ireland, launched the Riverbrooke Cross-Border Initiative linking the two villages in a programme of cross-community/cross-border working.
Colebrooke House is a B+ listed Neoclassical country house, built in 1820, and situated in an estate of 1,000 acres. Colebrooke Park was recently renovated and refurbished by the present Viscount Brookeborough and his wife, Viscountess Brookeborough. This renovation of Colebrooke included the installation of the new Colebrooke spa,[4] which was featured on the television show Country House Rescue in June 2012.[5] The Colebrooke Spa closed after operating for ten years. Part of this renovation also includes additional accommodation in the form of The Triumphal Arch Lodge.[6] Today Colebrooke Park, and the buildings around it, provide a tranquil getaway from the rush of the main A4 road between Brookeborough and Fivemiletown, which eventually becomes a section of motorway between Ballygawley and Dungannon, on the way to Belfast. This homely and historic rural retreat has also featured in a number of programmes and publications on the culture of Northern Ireland,[7] and also includes holiday cottages[8] and The Ashbrooke Riding School. Equestrianism has long been a part of the history of this area.
Brookeborough Railway Station House (Formerly on the Clogher Valley railway which ran through the village from May 1887 to January 1942) – This small redbrick building now hosts a playgroup and community centre, and pays homage to its railway tradition through the artwork of Amanda Montgomery, who produced a specially commissioned piece of artwork based around themes of travel and railway history. Also in 1998 President Mary McAleese visited the station house as part of a celebration of its opening and as a testament to the cross community work taking place in the area at this time.[9]
Brookeborough Heber McMahons GAA grounds and complex – Located on the Carrickaheenan Road this facility includes two football pitches, changing rooms, and clubhouse.
As of the 2001 census, Brookeborough was classified as a small village or hamlet by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with a population of between 500 and 1,000 people). On census day 29 April 2001, there were 517 people living in Brookeborough. Of these:[12]
25.5% were aged under 16 years
16.8% were aged 60 and over
the average age was 34.7 years (NI average age 35.8 years)
50.3% of the population were male and 49.7% were female
In his youth Roy Carroll, the Northern Ireland international goalkeeper, played for the Brookeborough football team.
The local Gaelic Athletic Association team is known as Brookeborough Heber MacMahon's Gaelic Football Club. It is named after Dr. Heber MacMahon (1600–1650), Bishop of Clogher, a Catholicprelate who was executed during the Irish Confederate Wars. The team has never won honours at Senior Championship level but has won a number of Junior, Under-age and Intermediate Level competitions.
