Queen arrives in County Tyrone

The Queen arrived at Hillsborough on Monday

The Queen has begun a series of engagements in Northern Ireland with a visit to County Fermanagh as part of her Golden Jubilee tour.

She is currently visiting Omagh in County Tyrone, where she was greeted at the town's library by the Omagh Cross Community Youth Choir.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were met on arrival by the Duke of Abercorn, the Lord-Lieutenant of County Tyrone.

In an unscheduled stop, they visited the site of the 1998 Real IRA bomb which killed 29 people in the town and the memorial garden set up in memory of the victims.

Earlier, they met representatives from various project groups throughout Northern Ireland who have received grant aid from the New Opportunities Fund.

Crowds greeted the Queen's arrival

It was established in 1998 to make grants to education, health and environment projects.

The Queen and the Duke were given a short presentation on the Omagh 2010 Vision, an economic and infrastructural plan for the town.

On arrival in Ballinamallard earlier, the Queen was greeted by The Earl of Erne, the Lord-Lieutenant of County Fermanagh.

Crowds braved the strong winds to greet the Queen.

She then travelled to a childcare facility, Rascals PlayStation, where she met children and teenagers from the local community.

Also on Tuesday, Prince Philip visited Fisher Engineering in the town.

The Queen arrived in the province on Monday evening with the Duke of Edinburgh, for her 15th visit to the province.

The Queen will attend a number of functions in the west of the province on Tuesday as part of her three day visit and will also give a short speech to Assembly members at Stormont.

Other engagements on the tour include a garden party at Hillsborough Castle in County Down, and one at Loughry Agricultural College in County Tyrone.

New era

A special service to mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee will also be held at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast.

The Queen is expected to participate in a number of other engagements across the province during her stay.

She last visited the province in November 2001 when she toured a number of towns during a one-day visit.

There was speculation following the visit that the Queen may be preparing to visit Dublin for the first time to signal the start of a new era in Anglo-Irish relations.

It is believed any planned visit would probably be after the Golden Jubilee year.

It would be the first visit to the Republic of Ireland by a reigning British monarch since the country achieved independence nearly 80 years ago.