Editing Omagh (section)

==History==
[[File:Campsie, Omagh, Co. Tyrone (44630959131).jpg|thumb|250px|Campsie, Omagh, in the early 20th century]]
===Name===
The name Omagh is an [[anglicisation]] of the Irish name ''an Óghmaigh'' (modern Irish ''an Ómaigh''), meaning "the virgin plain". A monastery was apparently established on the site of the town about 792, and a Franciscan friary was founded in 1464.<ref name="OmaghMonastic">{{cite book |last1=Gwynn |first1=Aubrey |last2=Hadcock |first2=R. Neville |title=Medieval Religious Houses Ireland |publisher=Longman |year=1970 |pages=267, 273, 400 |isbn=0-582-11229-X }}</ref> Omagh was founded as a town in 1610. It served as a refuge for fugitives from the east of [[County Tyrone]] during the [[1641 Rebellion]]. In 1689, [[James II of England|James II]] arrived at Omagh, en route to [[Derry]]. Supporters of [[William III of England|William III]], Prince of Orange, later burned the town.

===County Town===

In 1768, Omagh replaced [[Dungannon]] as the county town of County Tyrone. Omagh acquired railway links to Londonderry with the [[Londonderry and Enniskillen Railway]] in 1852, [[Enniskillen]] in 1853 and [[Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station|Belfast]] in 1861. [[St Lucia Barracks, Omagh|St Lucia Barracks]] were completed in 1881. In 1899, [[Tyrone County Hospital]] was opened. The [[Government of Northern Ireland]] made the [[Great Northern Railway (Ireland)|Great Northern Railway Board]] close the Omagh – Enniskillen railway line in 1957.<ref name="Baker 1972 153, 207">{{cite book |last=Baker |first=Michael H.C. |year=1972 |title=Irish Railways since 1916 |location=London |publisher=[[Ian Allan Publishing|Ian Allan]] |isbn=0-7110-0282-7 |pages=153, 207}}</ref> In accordance with the [[Ulster Transport Authority#The Benson Report|Benson Report]] submitted to the Northern Ireland Government in 1963, the [[Ulster Transport Authority]] closed the {{rws|Portadown}} – Omagh – Londonderry main line in 1965,<ref>Baker, 1972, pages 155, 209</ref> leaving Tyrone with no rail service. St Lucia Barracks closed in August 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.u.tv/News/Omagh-gets-green-police-station/3c7d0c97-9d23-48e5-9b14-ebcdd7c9b59d|title=Omagh gets green police station|date=14 September 2010|publisher=Ulster TV|access-date=12 October 2014|archive-date=20 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020091712/http://www.u.tv/News/Omagh-gets-green-police-station/3c7d0c97-9d23-48e5-9b14-ebcdd7c9b59d|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 30 December 1942, a [[Consolidated PBY Catalina|Consolidated Catalina Ib]] of [[No. 240 Squadron RAF]] that was operating from [[RAF Killadeas]] crashed into the town. The crash killed all eleven occupants, however no one on the ground was killed or injured. The cause of the crash was never ascertained.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19421230-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Consolidated Catalina Ib (PBY-5B) FP239 Omagh, Reaghan, Northern Ireland|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=aviation-safety.net|access-date=9 November 2017|archive-date=10 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110005003/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19421230-0|url-status=live}}</ref>

Omagh Town Hall, which opened on 29 September 1915, hosted a number of notable performers, including the actors [[Anew McMaster]], [[Micheál Mac Liammóir]] and [[Jimmy O'Dea]], before it was demolished to make way for the Strule Arts Centre in 1997.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://ulsterherald.com/2019/02/01/share-your-omagh-town-hall-memories/|title=Share your Omagh Town Hall memories|date=1 February 2019|newspaper=Ulster Herald|access-date=5 June 2021|archive-date=23 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923152753/https://ulsterherald.com/2019/02/01/share-your-omagh-town-hall-memories/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===The Troubles===
{{main|The Troubles in Omagh|Omagh bombing}}
Omagh became the focus of international media attention when, on 15 August 1998, the [[Real Irish Republican Army]] exploded a car bomb in the town centre. 29 people were killed in the blast – 14 women (including one pregnant with twins), 9 children and 6 men. Hundreds more were injured as a result of the blast.

In April 2011, a car bomb killed police constable [[Ronan Kerr]]. A group of former [[Provisional IRA]] members [[Irish Republican Army|calling itself the Irish Republican Army]] made its first public statement later that month claiming responsibility for the killing.<ref>{{cite news|title=Former Provos claim Kerr murder and vow more attacks|author=Suzanne Breen|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/former-provos-claim-kerr-murder-and-vow-more-attacks-15146426.html|newspaper=Belfast Telegraph|date=22 April 2011|access-date=26 April 2011|archive-date=26 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426010813/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/former-provos-claim-kerr-murder-and-vow-more-attacks-15146426.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2023, an off-duty senior police officer was shot and critically injured at a sports complex in the town. Police stated they were focusing on the [[New IRA]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Omagh: Off-duty police officer shot |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-64736670 |publisher=BBC News |date=22 February 2023 |access-date=22 February 2023 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kearney |first1=Vincent |title=Detective Chief Inspector 'critical but stable' after Omagh shooting |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2023/0222/1358289-omagh-shooting/ |access-date=23 February 2023 |publisher=RTÉ News |date=23 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Police confirm shooting of John Caldwell is 'terrorist related' with primary line of inquiry New IRA |url=https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2023-02-24/john-caldwell-shooting-is-terrorist-related-with-main-line-of-inquiry-new-ira |access-date=27 February 2023 |publisher=UTV |date=24 February 2023}}</ref>