Date | Speaker | Topic |
4 January | Rev Donal Bennett | New Year Reflections |
11 January | Annual General Meeting | Election of Officers for 2017 |
18 January | Deborah Maxwell | Omagh Leisure Centre |
25 January | Business Meeting | All-Ireland Rally May 2017 |
1 February | Emma Sloan | N.I. Blood Transfusion Service |
8 February | Marie McClenaghan | “Aware”: Mental Health Support |
15 February | DVD provided by PSNI | Scams and internet fraud |
22 February | Members’ Forum | |
1 March | Kevin Harper | Cancer Research UK in NI |
8 March | Business Meeting | Up-date on 2017 Probus Rally |
15 March | Rachel Ludlow-Williams | Sustainable Transport |
22 March | Patrick Bogues | My sister. Louise |
29 March | Meeting with IMTAC [Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee] | |
5 April | Probus Inter-club Quiz | |
12 April | Dr John Moore | South West College of Further Education |
19 April | Frank Loughran | Omagh Credit Union |
26 April | Jim Corr | Traveller’s Tales |
3 May | Business Meeting: Planningfor the All Ireland Probus Rally 17-18 May | |
10 May | Joint Meeting with Ladies Probus – Final arrangements for the Rally | |
17 May | All Ireland Probus Rally 2017, hosted by the Probus Clubs of Omagh | |
24 May | Ian Johnston | End of Life Matters |
31 May | Desmond Smart | Some Old Words |
7 June | Annual Club Outing – this year to Londonderry | |
Summer Recess: Club activities resume on Wednesday 4th October | ||
4 October | Mark Lusby | US Forces in Derry World War II |
Month: June 2017
Annual Club Outing
Wednesday 7 June 2017: Annual Club Outing: Visit to Londonderry
On a bright sunny morning with the promise of fine weather, 25 members of the Men’s and Ladies Probus Clubs boarded a coach at Omagh Golf Club bound for a day out in Derry. First stop on arrival at the maiden city was the Warehouse Coffee shop for refreshments before a conducted tour of the Guildhall and the Tower Museum, led by informed and entertaining guides. This was followed by an “open top” bus tour of the city through the Waterside, over the Foyle Bridge and back to Guildhall Square via the Bogside. The on-board commentary through the headphones drew attention to many of the landmarks of the troubles including memorials and gable wall artworks. In the afternoon the party was given an informative talk on the history of the city while walking the walls with a knowledgeable guide. This included a look inside St Augustine’s Church – “the wee church on the wall”. Back on the coach the party moved on to Beech Hill Country House Hotel where they learned something of the role played by the house as an garrison for US Forces based in Derry during the Second World War, before sitting down to an enjoyable evening meal. Thanks were expressed to Club President John McCandless for organising and arranging such an interesting visit to his native city.
Desmond Smart: Some Old Words
Wednesday, 31 May 2017: Desmond Smart: Some Old Words
Club member, Desmond Smart, is a collector of “Old Words” , writing down words that were in common usage in our parents’ and grandparents’ time but little used today. The meeting had a simple but entertaining format; Desmond would call out a word and Probians would respond by saying if they had ever heard it or used it. Among those more readily recognised were NEB [beak or nose], OXTER [Armpit], WHEEN [small amount], GIRN [to pull a face] GULDER [shout or roar], BESOM [a broom]. Some words evoked childhood memories, for example BROO [riverbank] on which many members remembered playing and fishing. SNED was readily associated with the trimming the green tops off turnips – as in snedding turnips and some recalled sitting on a SLIPE [sledge] being pulled along by their grandfather’s horse. All could recount the stinging bite of CLEGGS [horseflies] and PLOUTERING through GUTTERS wearing WELLIES. However buried in the vernacular were some unflattering terms for persons such as an untidy girl [a CLART], a contemptible boy [a SCUT], a big stout fellow [a SWAD] and a rough course woman [a HASK]. Other words evoking memories included COOM [turf dust], SPANG [leap], STOON [pain], TRUMPERY [bric-a-brac] and DAYLIGONE [twilight]