Omagh Probus Club, Wednesday 22 October 2025
The speaker on Wed 22 October was Club President, Felim O’Neill, drawn by lot to address members on a topic of his choosing. For his truly fascinating talk Felim dipped into his collection of objects mostly unearthed during outings with is trusty metal detector. He presented members with four pairs of artefacts and invited comment on the age, style and provence of each pair. The first pair were two bronze miniature figurines, one of which was correctly identified as a representation of Lord Nelson, dating from 1806 – the other more likely a recent souvenir from Egypt, in the shape of a temple goddess.
The second pair to be passed around were the pottery bases of two drinking vessels, one made on a potter’s wheel and dating from Roman times, the other built up from coils of clay in a style that was first developed in the Iron age. The third pair were both Norman, one the pommel of a sword, the other a swivel from a dog collar – see photo below. The fourth pair were again bronze miniatures but from very different periods of history; the one shaped like a Carnyx [trumpet] was likely to have been the handle of a Celtic shaving razor; the other, modelled on the neck, head and beak of a heron was possibly Roman and may have adorned the lid an expensive bowl.
Felim’s talk generated much interested discussion and many questions as well as well-deserved appreciation for his presentation.
