Omagh

Omagh Scots: Omey Irish: an Ómaigh
Population	19,910 (2001 Census)
District	Omagh
County	County Tyrone
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	OMAGH
Postcode district	BT78, BT79
Dialling code	028
Police	Northern Ireland
Fire	Northern Ireland
Ambulance	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	West Tyrone
NI Assembly	West Tyrone
Website	Official website

The main church spires of Omagh

Omagh (/ˈoʊmə/ or /ˈoʊmɑː/; Irish pronunciation: [ˈomæ] – from Irish: an Ómaigh, meaning "the virgin plain" [ənˠ ˈoːmˠəi]) 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

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.