Omagh

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Omagh
Population19,910 (2001 Census)
District
County
CountryNorthern Ireland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townOMAGH
Postcode districtBT78, BT79
Dialling code028
PoliceNorthern Ireland
FireNorthern Ireland
AmbulanceNorthern Ireland
UK Parliament
NI Assembly
WebsiteOfficial website
List of places
UK
Northern Ireland
Tyrone
The main church spires of Omagh

Omagh (/ˈmə/[1] or /ˈmɑː/; Irish pronunciation: [ˈomæ][source?] – from Irish: an Ómaigh, meaning "the virgin plain" [ənˠ ˈoːmˠəi])[2] is the county town of County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and the Western Education and Library Board. The town is twinned with East Kilbride (Scotland) and L'Haÿ-les-Roses (France).

History[change | change source]

In 1768, Omagh replaced Dungannon as the county town of County Tyrone. Omagh acquired railway links to Derry in 1852, Enniskillen in 1853 and Belfast in 1861. The St Lucia Barracks were built in 1881 and closed in 2007. 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. In 1998, 29 people were killed in a Real Irish Republican Army bombing.

References[change | change source]

  1. G. M. Miller, BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (Oxford University Press, 1971), pg. 110
  2. Placenames Database of Ireland