A report of December 1843 suggested more prosperous times for the people of Dungannon as moves were made to re-establish the linen industry in the town:

On Thursday last the town of Dungannon presented the most spirit stirring and cheering appearance which has been witnessed here for many years passed. At an early hour the town began to fill with people all in motion and preparing their linens for sale. By the untiring exertions of some of the men in trade in this town aided by our excellent agent Robert Wray Esquire JP, a plan was arranged for reviving the all but defunct linen market of this town by the introduction of a market… accordingly the project was brought under the consideration of the most extensive and eminent linen merchants of the counties of Antrim, Derry and Tyrone.

On the eve of the Famine, the people of Dungannon looked with optimism to the future. Amongst the groups actively engaged in was the Dungannon Agricultural Society. In March 1845 they organised a farming show and dinner in the town:

on Wednesday 26th instant the farming society lately established in Dungannon held its first show of cattle farming projects and farming implements in the Market Square. Considering this was the first exhibition of the society we are not saying too much when we declared that it exceeded anything of the same nature which has yet been attempted in this assertion we are fully borne out by the opinions of several gentlemen members of different other farming societies who are present on the occasion and who are well qualified to judge of the matter. Although the rain continued to pour in torrents from about 2:00 o’clock yet the order of the people to witness the show received no check. At 5:00 o’clock in the evening about 250 gentlemen members of the society and others sat down to an excellent dinner in Hughes’s hotel. The justly popular member for Dungannon Vicscount Northland was in the chair.