E.CHRIST. · OGHAM STONE

Ogham stone

Omagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 14384
Period
E.CHRIST.
Site type
OGHAM STONE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 14384
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H6177783903
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Ogham Stone, Omagh is a carved stone monument bearing inscriptions in ogham, the ancient Celtic alphabet used primarily in Ireland and western Britain between the fourth and seventh centuries. The stone stands in Omagh, County Tyrone, in a landscape underlain by Ordovician extrusive rocks—mafic lavas and tuffs formed over 440 million years ago. This geological foundation of volcanic material is typical of the Sperrin Mountains region where the stone was set.

Ogham stones served as territorial markers, memorials, or boundary markers within early medieval Celtic communities. The inscriptions typically recorded personal names and genealogies, preserving records of local families and their claims to land. The stone's survival to the present day reflects both the durability of its medium and the cultural continuity of the locality.

The monument is protected under the Historic Environment Division as a scheduled monument (reference 14384), recognising its significance as evidence of early medieval settlement and social organisation in Ulster. Such stones contribute to understanding the linguistic, artistic and territorial patterns of early Christian Ireland, offering physical testimony to communities and individuals whose names might otherwise remain unrecorded.

Ogham stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 14384. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Ogham stone?

Ogham Stone, Omagh is a carved stone monument bearing inscriptions in ogham, the ancient Celtic alphabet used primarily in Ireland and western Britain between the fourth and seventh centuries. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 14384.

What period does Ogham stone date from?

Ogham stone dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a ogham stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Ogham stone?

Ogham stone is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 14384.

What other scheduled monuments are near Ogham stone?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stone circle, cairn & two alignments (6.1 km), Dermot & grania's bed. wedge tomb (7 km), Carnanbane. court tomb (7.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Ogham stone

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ogham stone's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Ogham stone

Ogham stone stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.