Omagh named among UK’s quietest places

TYRONE’S county town has been named one of the quietest places in the UK, a distinction few could have foreseen during the public upset and media maelstrom that was whipped up by the Omagh hum earlier this year.

Late 2023 and early 2024 saw a peculiar phenomenon steal sleep and headlines alike, as a low nocturnal drone became a nightly feature of the local soundscape.

Though the source of the noise was never formally revealed, it has subsided entirely in the last few months, much to the relief of some of the town’s most exhausted residents.

However, while most local people are grateful that the night-time murmur is no more, few could have predicted that its disappearance would precipitate a pronouncement that Omagh – and its serene surrounding area – is one of the most silent spots in the British Isles.

According to a recent report, which, bizarrely, was conducted by a company called Bed Kingdom, a territory described as ‘West Northern Ireland’ is the second most hushed region in the UK, with just 2.95 noise complaints per 1,000 residents.

acutely quiet

Of the distinct districts comprised within this acutely quiet, mainly rural area, it was Fermanagh and Omagh that came out the most silent, with 2.41 sound disturbances reported per 1,000.

The data analysed was gathered by government departments in England, Wales and the North, and has been spun to suggest that the areas that received the fewest noise complaints were the most suitable for a ‘quiet staycation this summer’.

The authors of the report said, “The region is known for its expansive rural areas with landmarks such as the Sperrin Mountains, the Ulster American Folk Park, Lough Erne and the Marble Arch Caves.

“Fermanagh and Omagh is the quietest district (in Northern Ireland), with 2.41 complaints per 1,000.”

However, regardless of the angle imposed upon it, what is indisputable is that of all the areas surveyed, Fermanagh and Omagh was among the least noise polluted.

It will be interesting to see DAERA’s next batch of relevant statistics to see if the Omagh hum has affected the locality’s standing as a bastion of peace and tranquility.