On Tuesday 16th June Omagh Men’s probus club embarked on their annual outing. In the morning members visited the Ulster Aviation Society Museum at the Maze and in the afternoon enjoyed a guided tour of the linen museum in the centre of Lisburn. Four ladies from the Ladies Probus Club took up the invitation to join with the men and all had a lovely day out.
The aircraft museum is housed in a World War II hangar dating from the time when there was an RAF base at Longkesh. It now has over 70 exhibits, the most recent acquisition being a Harrier jump jet which sits impressively alongside other classic frontline aircraft including a Canberra jet bomber, a Buccaneer, a Jaguar, a Tornado and a Phantom IV. Steps make it possible to climb into the cockpit of a “Red Arrow” a jet that was once part of the famous RAF display team. Helicopters, commercial aircraft and early flying machines add immeasurably to the display.
Following lunch in Hampton’s restaurant, Culcavey the party moved on to the Linen Museum for a talk about the history of flax growing and linen weaving. A prized artefact in the museum is a piece of linen from the tomb Tutankhamun 1323 BC. A reproduction fresco from the period shows that the methods used to cultivate flax and weave linen in ancient Egypt were not very much different to the methods used in 19th century Ireland. Demonstrations of spinning and handloom weaving made for a memorable day.
