Omagh Inquiry: Timeline

Key dates in the inquiry's progress, assembled from its recorded milestones and hearing phases.

Hearing-phase dates are taken from the published hearing days; some earlier milestone dates are approximate where the inquiry has not published an exact date.

Milestones & hearing phases

Milestone Hearing phase Reports & costs Still to come
2 Feb 2023
Inquiry announced
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced an independent statutory inquiry into the 1998 Omagh bombing.
12 Jun 2023
Chair appointed
Lord Turnbull was appointed as Chair of the inquiry.
21 Feb 2024
Terms of Reference published
The UK Government published the inquiry's Terms of Reference.
30 Jul 2024
Procedural / preliminary hearing
1 sitting day
28 Jan 2025
Commemorative hearings begin
The inquiry began four weeks of commemorative and personal statement hearings, its first oral hearings.
28 Jan 2025 to 19 Feb 2025
Commemorative & impact hearings
14 sitting days
21 May 2025 to 20 Jul 2026
Evidential hearings
10 sitting days
23 Jun 2025
Opening statements heard
The inquiry heard opening statements from core participants over two days; it stated these were not evidential hearings.
31 Dec 2025
Costs to date: £12.2m
Cumulative expenditure Apr 2024 – Dec 2025
To be confirmed
Final report (to be confirmed)
The inquiry has not yet reported.