BRONZE AGE · BARROW

Ring barrow

Omagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 15659
Period
BRONZE AGE
Site type
BARROW
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 15659
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H3948156745
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

# Ring Barrow, Omagh

The ring barrow at Omagh is a Bronze Age burial monument comprising a circular earthwork with an internal mound. Located in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, the site sits upon bedrock of the Kilskeery Group, a Chesterian formation of sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate that characterises much of the local landscape. This geologically diverse substrate would have presented particular challenges for construction, though the varied stone types available may have been exploited in the monument's building materials.

Ring barrows represent a distinctive phase of Bronze Age funerary practice, typically encompassing cremation burials within a central mound surrounded by a ditch and outer bank. The Omagh example sits within a broader archaeological tradition extending across Ireland and Britain, reflecting the ritual and social importance placed upon commemorating the dead during this period.

The monument is protected under Historic Environment Division reference 15659, recognising its significance as a surviving example of Bronze Age monumental architecture in the north of Ireland. The site's position at grid reference H3948156745 preserves an important record of prehistoric settlement patterns and burial practices in the Tyrone landscape.

Ring barrow is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15659. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Ring barrow?

# Ring Barrow, Omagh The ring barrow at Omagh is a Bronze Age burial monument comprising a circular earthwork with an internal mound. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15659.

What period does Ring barrow date from?

Ring barrow dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a barrow. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Ring barrow?

Ring barrow 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 15659.

What other scheduled monuments are near Ring barrow?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Carnnamoghil. multiple cist cairn (1.5 km), Standing stone (2.1 km), Giant's grave. portal tomb (2.4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Ring barrow

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ring barrow'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.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Ring barrow report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Ring barrow

Ring barrow stands on Kilskeery Group, bedrock that formed in the Chesterian. The rock here is sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate.