Omagh
Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Get in
Hourly buses from Belfast and Derry can take you to Omagh, passing through other towns on their way. For example, the Derry bus stops in Strabane, Sion Mills and Newtownstewart, while the Belfast buses stop in Dungannon and Ballygawley.
Get around
Most of Omagh can be explored on foot. There are no trains or trams, and buses connect most of the suburbs to the town centre, but there's nothing to do there. So walking around is your best bet.
See
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- 1 Omagh Bomb Memorial (Garden of Light). A memorial to the 29 people killed and 220 injured by a car bomb set by the Real Irish Republican Army on 15 August 1998. The memorial is a set of mirrors and was erected in 2008. There is also a memorial pillar on James street
- 2 Ulster American Folk Park. Open air museum explaining story of emigration from Ulster to North America in 18th and 19th centuries. There is an Old World and New World in site. Sites include the Weaver's Cottage, A Blacksmith's forge, Crop Fields, log cabins, smoke houses and herb gardens. Museum restaurant available, open daily for snacks and full meals.
Do
No visit to Omagh or the surrounding areas would be complete without dabbling in the local tradition of streetdrinking. This is usually accompanied by copious amounts of Buckfast, a tonic wine produced in Devon, but insanely popular in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as the Republic. Popular drinking places include the Grange Park and the Riverbank.
- 1 Strule Arts Centre. a 400-seat theatre, a 125-seat lecture theatre, a visual arts gallery, dance studio and cafe
Buy
Eat
- 1 [dead link] Kamal Mahal, 8 Campside Road, BT79 0AG, ☏ +44 28 8224 3842. From 12:00 to 15:00, all you can eat lunches for a £6.50, with good food.
- 2 Philly's Phinest, Bridge St., ☏ +44 7563 764615. Diner
Drink
Lots, because there isn't much to do otherwise. Omagh is a pretty expensive town to drink in. It's much cheaper to get a 'carryout' (a local word meaning alcohol bought in a shop), as bars in the town rarely have drink promotions.
If you do decide to venture out, the Embankment and the newly-opened Rue are in fierce competition for the title of "the place to be seen". Other pubs such as Sally O'Brien's or Top of the Town offer the usual Guinness and craic (fun) that you would expect from a bar in Northern Ireland.
Sleep
- 1 Silverbirch Hotel, 5 Gortin Rd, ☏ +44 28 8224 2520.
- 2 Mullaghmore House, Old Mountfield Rd, ☏ +44 28 8224 2314.
Go next