Omagh served as a refuge for fugitives from the east of County 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, later burned the town. Omagh acquired railway links to Derry with the Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway in 1852, Enniskillen in 1853 and Belfast in 1861. The original crest of the town of Omagh was Three lions couchant but it was never officially registered.
Learn more about Omagh’s varied and exciting History and some of the famous people in whose footsteps you are now walking by completing this series that has been created using a trail set up by the former Omagh District Council. The trail starts at the Tourist Information Centre, Market Street and you will be able to absorb quite a bit of the town’s history and character in the course of this little stroll. The walk itself will take about an (not including time needed to search for the caches). Omagh has been a market town, a garrison town, and the county town of Tyrone since 1768. As you walk through its main thoroughfare you are walking the line of the town centre as it was on its foundation as a town in 1610, although there have been settlements along the banks of its rivers since the days of antiquity. Sample the quiet charm of Omagh, and experience the good humour of its people, as you examine some of the features that have shaped this historic town. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS NOT A GEOCACHE AT EACH LOCATION BECAUSE OF THE LIMITATIONS ON DISTANCE BETWEEN GEOCACHES.
Following on from the trail in geocache GC602FM:
TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (Omagh trail #4) - The street to the left of the Courthouse leads to Trinity Presbyterian Church, one of the oldest Churches in Omagh town Centre. It was founded in 1752 by a group of dissenters from the first Presbyterian Church.
GALLOWS HILL (Omagh trail #5) - Behind the Trinity Presbyterian Church, was the site of the public gallows, where public hangings took place in the 18th Century. Local tradition has it that the last man to be hanged was a highwayman called Tom Eccles (c1790). For most of the 19th Century it became the site of the cattle market, hence its other name, Fair Hill. St.Patrick’s Terrace - on a gable wall a plaque has been affixed, dedicated to Benedict Kiely, renowned novelist, short story writer and broadcaster, who spent his formative years here after moving from the nearby village of Dromore.
THE WESLEYAN CHAPEL (Omagh trail #6) - is today known as the Methodist Church and was built in 1857. In taking a closer look, there is a plaque on the exterior “Methodist Chapel A.D. 1811” which was taken from the previous Church sited alongside. It has been recently re-furbished. ST COLUMBA'S PARISH CHURCH (Omagh trail #7) - In 1777 the Mervyn Family built St Columba’s Parish Church. Bishop Knox added a tower and spire. Enlarged in 1820, the interior boasts a series of fine stained glass windows and wall plaques in memory of local dignitaries. THE SACRED HEART CHURCH (Omagh trail #8) - The Sacred Heart Church, designed by William Hague and dedicated by Cardinal Logue in 1899, was built on the highest point in the town replacing the old chapel of St Peter and St Paul built in Brook Street in 1829. The Rose Window with the High Altar below was provided by parishioners, who had emigrated to New York, as a memorial to the late Archbishop Hughes, First Archbishop of St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York. It has been recently re-furbished.
The cache itself is camouflaged to prevent muggles from finding it. Use the hint to find it!