Omagh
Two rivers meet in the town to form the Strule, and the emigration story leaves from here: the Ulster American Folk Park stands just north of it. Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone.
County Tyrone
The Sperrins give the walking and the dark skies; the story is emigration, told at the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh. A county of market towns, linen history and people who left.
County Tyrone facts
- Province: Ulster
- County town: Omagh
- Setting: Inland
- Touring region: Northern Ireland
- Best for: history, hiking, family, scenic drives
- Places in the planner: 3
Rolling farmland runs up to the Sperrin Mountains along the northern edge, shared with Derry, in Northern Ireland's largest county. The Sperrins offer quiet hill walking, scenic drives like the Sperrin Scenic Route, and dark skies away from town lights.
Tyrone's human story is one of emigration: the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh recreates the cottages and ship-side scenes of those who left for America, and US presidents trace roots to the county. The River Mourne and Strule meet at Omagh, the county town, while Dungannon and Cookstown carry strong market-town and linen heritage in the east. Tyrone is a county for travellers interested in people and stories as much as places: linen mills, emigration history, plantation towns and farming life. It links naturally with Derry city and the Sperrins on one side and Armagh and Lough Neagh on the other.
Top sights in Tyrone
Ulster American Folk Park
An open-air museum telling the story of emigration from Ulster to America.
The Sperrin Mountains
A quiet range of hills with scenic drives, walks and glens on the Derry border.
Beaghmore Stone Circles
Bronze Age stone circles and alignments discovered in bogland north of Cookstown.
Wellbrook Beetling Mill
A preserved water-powered linen finishing mill in a wooded valley.
Dungannon and the O'Neills
A hilltop town that was the stronghold of the O'Neill clan for centuries.
Towns & cities in Tyrone
Dungannon
Historic market town in the east of the county.
Cookstown
Market town known for its wide main street and linen past.
Strabane
Town on the River Mourne near the Donegal border.
Best time to visit
Spring to autumn is best for Sperrin drives and walks. The folk park and town heritage make Tyrone a solid year-round touring stop.
Getting there
Omagh is about ninety minutes west of Belfast by road. From Dublin, head north then west: around two and a half hours in total.
Places for your trip
- Omagh: Two rivers meet in the town to form the Strule, and the emigration story leaves from here: the Ulster American Folk Park stands just north of it. Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone.
- Ulster American Folk Park: The Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh is an open-air museum about emigration from Ulster to America.
- Gortin Glen Forest Park: Forest trails in the Sperrin Mountains near Omagh, in Tyrone's quiet hill country. Gortin Glen is a walker's park, not a ticketed sight.
What's on
No anchor festival is based here, but the Irish year is full: next up nationally is TradFest (20–24 Jan 2027, Temple Bar, Dublin). See the full events calendar
Nearby counties
County Donegal
Ireland's north-west runs on long roads and Atlantic weather: sea cliffs at Slieve League, Gaeltacht villages in the west and Malin Head at the top. Give it days, not hours.
County Fermanagh
Water is the county: Upper and Lower Lough Erne, more than a hundred islands and an island county town at Enniskillen. Hire a boat and the place makes sense.
County Derry
The walled city on the Foyle is the headline, with the Sperrins behind it and a fine coast at Castlerock and Portstewart. Heaney's home ground around Bellaghy draws its own pilgrims.
Part of Northern Ireland.