Wed 6 March 2024: Speaker Mr Vincent Brogan from Omagh Heritage Forum
The guest speaker on Wednesday 6th March was Mr Vincent Brogan from the Omagh Heritage Forum. The theme of his talk was Listed buildings in Omagh, which he identified by reference to the website Historic Map Viewer. This brought up a map of Omagh on which each listed building was marked by a dot. He demonstrated how a single click on a dot opens a sub-menu detailing the name of the property, its address and date of construction and the category of listed building into which it falls – Grade A being the highest. The only Grade A listed building in Omagh is the Sacred Heart Church. This beautiful church was constructed between 1892 and 1899 by Colhoun Brothers, Derry who were, at the same time, working on the construction of the 1st Omagh Presbyterian Church on the Dublin Road.
However, Historic Map Viewer reveals several Grade B listed buildings in Omagh, about which a wealth of information can be uncovered by scrolling around the map. The buildings examined by Mr Brogan in his perusal of the town included, the Courthouse, Omagh Gaol, St Lucia Barracks, The Royal Arms Hotel, the High Street Banks, the County Club, and the Protestant churches on Church Street – St Columba’s, The Methodist Church and Trinity Presbyterian. Supported by photographs from Dr Haldane Mitchell’s Images of Omagh series, and Martin Taggart’s collection of vintage postcards, Vincent provided a fascinating and informative talk about Omagh and its heritage.