Strule Arts Centre is a multi-purpose arts venue in Omagh

Omagh

Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...

, County Tyrone

County Tyrone

Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. It features a 400-seat theatre, a 125-seat lecture theatre, a visual arts gallery, dance studio and cafe. It has featured international musical acts, drama, film and dance in its events calendar and also is a venue for artistic and musical classes for adults and children. The Omagh tourist information office is located on the ground floor. The centre is owned and run by Omagh District Council

Omagh District Council

Omagh District Council is a local council in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Its headquarters is in the town of Omagh, which is the traditional county town of Tyrone. The council area is about , making it the second largest local council area in Northern Ireland with a population of just over...

.

History

In 2003 Omagh’s Town Hall was demolished to make way for the new Strule Arts Centre Arts. It cost £10.5 million and opened on 8 June 2007, overlooking the River Strule which flows through the town centre. It is part of a wider regeneration project for the High Street, George Street and Riverside area of Omagh. It was designed by architects Kennedy Fitzgerald and Associates and features a footbridge linking the waterfront site to a new college, existing bus station and riverside walk. The centre was officially opened in January 2008 by Edwin Poots

Edwin Poots

Alderman Edwin Poots MLA is a Northern Irish politician and a Democratic Unionist Party Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lagan Valley. He is one of three DUP MLAs for Lagan Valley.-Biography:...

, then Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, and Margaret Ritchie

Margaret Ritchie (politician)

Margaret Ritchie is an Irish politician from Northern Ireland. She was the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party from 7 February 2010 to 5 November 2011 - being replaced in this role by Alasdair McDonnell - and served as the Minister for Social Development from 8 May 2007 until her...

, Minister for Social Development. The Centre had been partially funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland

Arts Council of Northern Ireland

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland....

 (£4m) and by the Department for Social Development

Department for Social Development

The Department for Social Development is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for Social Development.-Aim:...

 (£3.1m).

Events

Artists appearing at the centre in late 2009 include: Dominic Kirwan, Juliet Turner

Juliet Turner

Juliet Turner is a singer/songwriter from Tummery, near Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. She has been a part of the Dublin music scene since she started recording in 1996. In the course of her career she has opened for such artists as Bob Dylan, U2 and Bryan Adams and toured with Roger...

, Brian Kennedy

Brian Kennedy (singer)

Brian Edward Patrick Kennedy is an Irish singer-songwriter and author, known for his ballads, and has represented Ireland at Eurovision 2006. He is the younger brother of musician Bap Kennedy.-Personal life:...

 and the Ulster Orchestra

Ulster Orchestra

The Ulster Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Belfast, the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall...

.