Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandOmaghStone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment
BRONZE AGE · STONE CIRCLE COMPLEX

Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment

Omagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 15028
Period
BRONZE AGE
Site type
STONE CIRCLE COMPLEX
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 15028
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H6479075210
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Omagh Stone Circle Complex is a Bronze Age monument comprising two stone circles, two cairns and an alignment of stones, situated in County Tyrone. The site occupies high ground underlain by Ordovician to Silurian mafic igneous bedrock, which would have been visible and available to the Bronze Age communities who constructed these features. The arrangement reflects ritual and ceremonial practices common to the Bronze Age in Ulster, when such stone complexes served functions linked to burial, gathering, and celestial observation.

The two stone circles represent distinct phases of construction or use, typical of major ritual landscapes that accumulated features over generations. Associated cairns indicate burial activity, a central purpose of Bronze Age stone monuments in the region. The alignment of additional stones suggests deliberate spatial planning, possibly oriented to significant astronomical events or to connect the separate elements into a unified sacred geography.

The complex remains protected by the Historic Environment Division as a scheduled monument, recognising its archaeological significance as evidence of Bronze Age settlement patterns, social organisation and belief systems in Ulster. The mafic igneous geology of the site would have influenced both the materials available for construction and the symbolic importance of the location to its builders.

Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15028. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment?

Omagh Stone Circle Complex is a Bronze Age monument comprising two stone circles, two cairns and an alignment of stones, situated in County Tyrone. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15028.

What period does Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment date from?

Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a stone circle complex. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment?

Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment 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 15028.

What other scheduled monuments are near Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Horned cairn. court tomb (4.5 km), Dunmisk fort. enclosure, monastic settlement, church & graveyard (site of) (4.9 km), Long cairns, giant's graves. court tomb (6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment'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 Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment

Stone circles (2), cairns (2) & alignment stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.