Things to do in Omagh
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Omagh
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months overall, with long days, the Sperrins at their greenest or turning gold and the best weather odds.
Fullest programmes including Omagh Show and Folk Park summer events, with the busiest Folk Park days and the mid August anniversary.
Dark sky season with the longest nights for the OM Observatory, wrapped in the Sperrins worst weather.
Lambing season Sperrins brightening fast, with the new Sperrins Festival of guided walks in March.
Good walking weather with shortening days, a quieter shoulder month between summer events and dark sky season.
What's on
- Bluegrass Omagh late May
A major bluegrass festival at the Ulster American Folk Park, the best and busiest weekend of the year in Omagh.
- Sperrins Festival 3 days in March
Guided walks, talks, storytelling, music and crafts across the Sperrins with free transport from a rotating hub.
- Omagh Show first Friday and Saturday in July
The Tyrone Farming Society agricultural show with livestock, equestrian competition, a trade village and a food hall.
- American Independence Weekend at the Folk Park early July
Folk Park summer programme events marking American Independence, part of a wider summer of bluegrass and food events.
Best things to do in Omagh
Ulster American Folk Park
Walk from thatched Ulster cottages across an emigrant ship to frontier log cabins, with costumed interpreters throughout.
The Abingdon Collection
A private museum of cars, militaria and memorabilia toured by its owner, free to visit with donations to charity.
Strule Arts Centre
Omagh's evening fixture, a riverside arts centre with theatre, music and comedy in a 384 seat auditorium.
Mellon Centre for Migration Studies
A free research library for tracing Irish emigrant ancestors, with expert staff and a major migration database.
Omagh Memorial Garden
A quiet garden of remembrance with 31 mirrors directing light to a glass heart, visited briefly and respectfully.
OM Dark Sky Park & Observatory
Stargazing and hands on astronomy in Davagh Forest, the first accredited Dark Sky Park in Northern Ireland.
An Creagán
The Sperrins visitor centre with an exhibition on the ancient landscape, forest trails, a craft shop and a cafe.
McKenna Gallery
A small purpose built gallery over two floors showing collectable contemporary Irish painting and sculpture.
Where to stay in Omagh
Town centre and the Gortin Road corridor
first visits, no car evenings, touring stops
Walkable to pubs and restaurants, with the Silverbirch Hotel and town guest houses and the Folk Park road north.
Gortin and the Glenpark foothills
families, forest days, country estate base
At the foot of Gortin Glen Forest Park, quieter and greener than town and entirely car dependent after dark.
Davagh and dark sky fringe
stargazers, mountain bikers, Beaghmore
Inside the Dark Sky Park area near Davagh, swapping town evenings for the darkest skies in Ireland.
Clogher Valley
a splurge, a spa afternoon, a special occasion
Home to Corick House 25 minutes south of Omagh, a separate country house base for a luxury night.
Best restaurants in Omagh
Grants Licensed Restaurant
Omagh's special occasion restaurant for steaks and slow braised beef, open Thursday to Sunday only.
The Kitchen
The town's favourite for a daytime meal done properly, from standout soups to triple cooked chips and tacos.
Barreta Bar & Grill
The Silverbirch Hotel grill for roasts and steaks, with later weekend kitchen hours than most of the town.
The Cheeky Fox Restaurant
Ambitious modern cooking with a high ceiling on its best nights, though service can be uneven when busy.
Sallys of Omagh
An all day bistro, traditional front bar and Omagh's main nightclub together in one long established complex.
The Coach Inn Bar & Restaurant
A family run pub restaurant competing on generosity, with home made food and strong value set menus.
The Millstone Bar & Restaurant
Hearty pub classics in generous portions on the Gortin road, with a Sunday carvery and steaks to order.
Kamal Mahal
Omagh's long standing Indian restaurant and the natural change of pace on a longer stay, best ordered a la carte.
Outdoor things to do in Omagh
Gortin Glen Forest Park
Forest trails, a scenic drive and a play park, plus the climb to Darach the giant on Mullaghcarn summit.
Davagh Forest
Graded mountain bike trails from a gentle green loop to a 16km red trail with rock slabs and fast descents.
Beaghmore Stone Circles
Seven Bronze Age stone circles, rows and cairns in empty moorland, linked to Davagh by the Solar Walk.
Omagh Golf Club
A friendly 18 hole parkland course founded in 1910, welcoming to visitors and societies at honest prices.
Omagh Anglers
Salmon and wild brown trout fishing on the Strule and its tributaries, best done with a local guide.
Todds Leap Activity Centre
Over 20 activities including a 500 metre zipline, giant swing and off road driving in Tyrone countryside.
Glenelly Valley
A beautiful Sperrins valley drive past the Nowanois giant figures, best taken slowly as a full rural loop.
Best hotels in Omagh
Silverbirch Hotel
Omagh's flagship 64 bedroom hotel with a grill and live music venue, walkable to the town centre.
Golden Hill Guest House
A representative family run Omagh guest house with home cooked breakfasts and strong local advice.
Glenpark Estate
Rooms, a restaurant, an open farm and camping at the foot of Gortin Glen, a one stop family base.
Gortin Glen Glamping
Glamping pods with hot tubs within walking distance of the Gortin Glen Forest Park trails.
Sperrin View Glamping
Luxury pods with stargazing windows and hot tubs in the Dark Sky Park near Davagh and Beaghmore.
An Creagán
Eight self catering cottages at the Sperrins visitor centre, the thrifty base for Davagh and Beaghmore.
Corick House Hotel & Spa
A 17th century country house hotel with a thermal spa, the only true luxury stay within reach of Omagh.
Is Omagh expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | £60 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | £115 a person |
| Splurge | £240 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- The Abingdon Collection: weeks ahead
- Strule Arts Centre: a few days ahead
- OM Dark Sky Park & Observatory: a few days ahead
- Davagh Forest: a few days ahead
- Omagh Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Omagh Anglers: weeks ahead
- Todds Leap Activity Centre: a few days ahead
- Grants Licensed Restaurant: weeks ahead
- Book the Abingdon Collection first, as it is appointment only and depends on one man's diary.
- Book Grants for Friday or Saturday early, and note it is closed Monday to Wednesday.
- Book OM Observatory evening sessions, Davagh bike hire, Corick spa experiences and Todds Leap group slots ahead.
Is Omagh safe?
- Lock the car at trailheads and do not leave valuables visible in forest car parks.
- Treat Sperrins weather as upland weather, with waterproofs, boots and a plan that survives losing phone signal.
- Wade conservatively when fishing and follow Loughs Agency and club guidance, especially after heavy rain.
- The emergency number is 999 throughout the United Kingdom.
Omagh travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Giving the Folk Park only 90 minutes pays full admission for a third of the experience.
- Do not trust aggregator prices or listings without checking the venue, as golf fees were outdated and a closed hotel still looked bookable.
- Forest and visitor centre cafes run limited daytime hours, so carry a picnic as insurance in the Sperrins.
- Beaghmore rewards slowness or nothing, so skip it rather than stopping for a ten minute photograph.
Getting around Omagh: public transport and more
- Omagh has no railway station, so arrive by Translink bus from Belfast in about 1 hour 50 minutes or from Derry in about 1 hour.
- A car is essential for Gortin Glen, Davagh, Beaghmore and the Glenelly Valley, which have little useful public transport.
- Fill up with fuel before the high Sperrins, where fuel, food and phone signal are all scarce.
- The Folk Park is 3 miles north, Gortin Glen 6 to 9 miles, Davagh and Beaghmore 15 to 20 miles of country road.
Who Omagh suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Omagh your trip
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