Omagh

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This article is about the town of Omagh. For the film of same name see: Omagh (movie).
Omagh
An Ómaigh
Coat of arms of Omagh
Oigh Maigh
"Omagh"
Location
Location of Omagh
Map highlighting Omagh
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
54.36° N 7.19° W
Statistics
Province: Ulster
County: County Tyrone
District: Omagh
Population (2006 estimate) 21,380
Website: www.omagh.gov.uk

Omagh (Irish: An Ómaigh) is the county town (and largest town) of County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town has a population of 21,380 and a further 28,000 live in the Omagh District Council area (2006 estimate). Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council. It is the county town of Tyrone, having taken the title from Dungannon around 1768. The town is said to owe its origins to an abbey founded in 792 AD, making it one of the oldest towns in Ireland.

The town is almost at the centre of Ulster.

Omagh is a 30 minute drive from the Northern Ireland - Republic of Ireland border. The town is twinned with L'Haÿ-les-Roses, France.

Omagh is served by the postcodes BT78 and BT79.

Contents

[edit] History

Omagh was founded as a town in 1610, nearly 150 years after the foundation of the Franciscan Friary in the town. It served as a refuge for fugitives from the east of Tyrone during the 1641 Rebellion. In 1689, the same year as the Battle of the Boyne, James II arrived at Omagh, en route to Derry. Supporters of William III, Prince of Orange, burnt the town.

In 1768, Omagh replaced Dungannon as the county town of Tyrone. Omagh acquired railway links to Derry in 1852, Enniskillen in 1853 and Belfast in 1861. The Military Barracks was built in 1881. In 1899 Tyrone County Hospital was opened. Today the hospital is the subject of a massive campaign to save its services. The Ulster Transport Authority closed the Omagh-Enniskillen railway line in 1957 and the Portadown-Derry main line in 1965, leaving the town with no rail service. It has been announced (in 2005 and again in 2006) that the military barracks in the town are to be closed by 1 August 2007.

Famous visitors to Omagh have included U.S. President Bill Clinton, Irish President Mary McAleese and the British Queen Elizabeth II.

[edit] The Troubles

Omagh came into the international focus of the media on 15 August 1998, when the Real Irish Republican Army exploded a car bomb in the town centre. 31 people were killed in the blast - 14 women, 9 children, 6 men and unborn twins. Hundreds more were injured as a result of the blast.

For more information see Omagh bombing and The Troubles in Omagh, which includes a list of incidents in Omagh during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities.

[edit] Floods

Omagh has a history of flooding and suffered major floods in 1909, 1929, 1954, 1969, 1987 and 1999. As a result of this, floodwalls were built to keep the water in the channel (River Strule) and to prevent it from overflowing into the flood plain. Large areas of land, mainly around the meanders, are unsuitable for development and were developed into large, green open areas, walking routes and parks.

One of the major floods, shown here on Drumragh Avenue.
Enlarge
One of the major floods, shown here on Drumragh Avenue.

[edit] Historical Populations

  • 1981 - 14,627 (Official census)
  • 1991 - 17,280 (Official census)
  • 2000 - 18,031 (Official estimate)
  • 2001 - 19,910 (Official census)
  • 2006 - 21,380 (Calculation) [1]

[edit] 2001 Census Demographics

Statistical Classification - Large Town

Demography -

  • Population - 19,910
  • Population under 16 years - 24.8%
  • Population over 60 years - 14.9%
  • Average age - 34.0 years (N.I. average - 35.8 years)
  • Male population - 48.9%
  • Female population - 51.1%
  • People from a Catholic community background - 68.2%
  • People from a Protestant or other Christian community background - 29.5%
  • People born outside Northern Ireland - 13.8%
  • People from a non-white ethnic group - 1.2%

[edit] Climate

Snow is common in Omagh around the winter months. Shown here is the River Strule
Enlarge
Snow is common in Omagh around the winter months. Shown here is the River Strule

In general summers are temperate to warm and winters are cool to mild. Rainfall is pretty much constant throughout the year. Omagh, as an inland area, has a more extreme climate than Irish coastal areas. In the summer, daytime temperatures usually range from 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F) with warm days often extending to 27°C (81°F) or higher. Temperatures surpassing 28°C (82°F) might only happen once or twice a year, though sometimes it won't at all and other times (heat waves during 1995, 2003 and 2006) it can surpass 28°C most days for a few weeks. Night time temperatures are usually between 8°C and 14°C (46.4°F and 57.2°F) though rather uncomfortable temperatures of 20°C (68°F) or even higher have occurred. In recent years, the summer temperatures have been reaching higher than average figures (e.g. 31°C/88°F in July 2006), and less rainfall has also occurred during these months. Thunderstorms are also rare, though some will happen, usually between June and August.

During the winter the days are usually either cloudy and mild (and often wet) or sunny and cool. Snow is fairly common (especially on the hills/mountains) and tends to fall during the months of December, January and February though it has been known for it to fall as early as September and as late as May. On milder days temperatures can range between 9°C and 12°C (48.2°F and 53.6°F) with it only being marginally less at night. On cooler days the temperature can often struggle to rise above 2°C or 3°C (35.6°F or 37.4°F) or even above freezing (0°C or 32°F) during the day, and fall below freezing at night. On very cold nights the temperature can fall as low as -7°C (19.4°F) while in late December 1995 a temperature of -17.6°C (0.32°F) was recorded. An air temperature of -19.4°C (-3°F) was recorded once, and it remains the coldest air temperature ever recorded in Ireland [2].

Climate Table
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average daily maximum temperature (°C) 9 10 12 14 17 20 23 22 18 16 11 10 15.2
Average daily minimum temperature (°C) -3 -2 -1 1 4 6 9 8 6 3 0 -1 2.5
Mean total rainfall (mm) 90 70 80 60 70 70 60 90 80 100 90 90 950
Source: Yahoo! Weather

A weather forecast over the next five days for Omagh can be found here, while a twenty-four hour forecast can be found here.

[edit] Places of Interest/Tourism

[edit] Tourist Attractions

  • The Gortin Glens Forest Park, 16 kilometres (10 miles) north of Omagh is a large forest with many attractions, including a deer enclosure and many areas of natural beauty, including waterfalls, lakes, etc.

[edit] Parks

  • Omagh boasts over 20 playgrounds for children, and a large amount of green open area for all the public. The largest (and most well known) of these is the Grange Park, located near the town centre. Many areas around the meanders of the River Strule have also been developed into open areas. Omagh Leisure Complex is a large public amenity, near the Grange Park and is set in 11 hectares (26 acres) of landscaped grounds and features a leisure centre, boating pond, astroturf pitch and cycle paths.

[edit] Retail

  • Omagh is the main retail centre for Tyrone, as well as the West of Ulster (behind Derry), due to its central location.
  • In the period 2000-2003, over £80 million was invested in Omagh, and 60,960m² (200,000 sq. ft) of new retail space was created. [4]
  • Shopping areas in Omagh include the Main Street Mall, Great Northern Road Retail Park and the Showgrounds Retail Park on Sedan Avenue in the town centre. High Street is also a prominent shopping street.

[edit] Communication

[edit] Public Transport

Many bus services link Omagh with the rest of Tyrone and indeed, the rest of Ireland (both North and South). Mainly, two bus companies serve Omagh - Bus Éireann and Ulsterbus. There are bus services to nearly all major towns and cities from Omagh including Belfast and Dublin.

Neither the town nor the district of Omagh has any rail service. The Portadown - Derry main line through Omagh was closed in 1965 and the Omagh Throughpass was built on its trackbed. The Omagh Throughpass (Stage 3) opened on 18 August 2006.

There is some hope that Omagh will become a transport hub again by 2050. There is a proposal to reopen the rail line to Belfast via Portadown, and also the rail link between Derry and Limerick via Omagh is also planned. However, this is only a proposal in the planning stage, and no plan has been finalised as yet. If this were to happen, Omagh would have rail links for the first time since 1965 to most of the other major towns and cities in Ireland.[citation needed]

Drumragh Avenue, a major road in Omagh. Also seen is the town's bus depot.
Enlarge
Drumragh Avenue, a major road in Omagh. Also seen is the town's bus depot.

There is a town bus service that runs daily, and a night bus service at weekends. Both services serve the town's suburbs.

[edit] Road connections

Omagh is connected to the rest of Ireland through a system of motorways, A roads and B roads.

The main roads to/from Omagh are as follows -



[edit] Local Media

Local Newspapers -

Local Radio -

In addition to this, BBC Radio Ulster also has a studio in the town.

[edit] Education

Omagh has a large variety of educational institutions at all levels. Omagh is also the headquarters of the Western Education and Library Board (WELB), which is located in Campsie House on the Hospital Road.

Primary Schools (Elementary Schools)

  • Christ The King Primary School
  • Gibson Primary School
  • Omagh Convent Primary School
  • Omagh County Primary School (And Nursery School)
  • Omagh Integrated Primary School
  • St. Mary's Primary School
  • St. Colmcille's Primary School
  • St. Conor's Primary School

Grammar/Secondary Schools (High Schools)

Colleges/Universities

[edit] Religion

Omagh has many religious outlets, including -

  • Church of Christ the King (Roman Catholic)
  • Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian)
  • First Omagh Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian)
  • Independent Methodist Church (Methodist)
  • Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses (Jehovah's Witnesses)
  • Omagh Baptist Church (Baptist)
  • Omagh Community Church (Non-Denominational)
  • Omagh Free Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian)
  • Omagh Gospel Hall (Free Presbyterian)
  • Omagh Methodist Church (Methodist)
  • Sacred Heart Church (Roman Catholic)
  • St. Columbia's Church (Church of Ireland)
  • St. Mary's Church (Roman Catholic)
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon)
    Omagh Community House
    Enlarge
    Omagh Community House
  • Trinity Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian)

[edit] Electoral wards/Neighbourhoods

These wards are only in the town, there are many outside the town in the council area.

These can also double as neighbourhoods. Population figures are for 2001, and will not add up to the 2006 estimate.

[edit] People

Notable residents or people born in Omagh include:

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


Major towns in Northern Ireland
Antrim | Ballymena | Banbridge | Bangor | Carrickfergus | Coleraine | Cookstown | Craigavon | Dundonald | Enniskillen | Holywood | Larne | Limavady | Newtownabbey | Newtownards | Omagh | Portadown | Strabane
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