The speaker on Wednesday 6th May 2026 was club member Hugh Ward, drafted in at the last minute to substitute for another, who had been taken ill. Hugh adopted as his theme “Storytelling” which he claimed was apt because the surname WARD derives from Irish Gaelic and means “Son of the Bard.” To develop his talent, he joined a summer school in Arnold’s Hotel, Dunfanaghy, run by the celebrated writer and journalist, Alf McCreary. During this time, he was encouraged to write about his childhood in rural Tyrone during the 40s and 50s and had published a short story entitled “Crickets sing no more.”
The title was inspired by crickets which were commonly found in the open hearths of thatched cottages. The crickets are gone as are most of the things Hugh recalled from his childhood in the townland of Brackey – GI’s in Drumnakilly, blackout curtains on isolated farmhouses, B-specials, Lord Haw-Haw on the radio, a foot stick over the Camowen river.
Hugh’s reading of his story was well received and sparked many memories of the period among those born during the early days of World War II