Omagh Probus Club, Wednesday 25 Feb 2026, the day on which former club member. Ivan Brown, celebrated his 100 th birthday. Speaker 25.02.26, Mr Vincent Brogan
The speaker on Wednesday 25th March was club member Mr Vincent Brogan, an acknowledged authority on Omagh past and present. Vincent provided members with an illustrated talk on the history of the town starting with a painting done in the days before photography. It showed the junction of John St and Church St from an elevated vantage point likely close to where the station once stood and where the station centre now stands.
In all he showed some 40 images projected from his laptop onto the large TV monitor in the function room. Most were drawn from the Lawrence collection and from the series “Images of Omagh” compiled by DR Haldane Mitchell, a former enthusiastic member of Omagh Probus. His presentation also featured a number of postcards collated by Martin Taggart.
Some members of the club enjoyed the scenes from bygone days recalled from their childhood, such as
• the fair green behind Trinity Church on a market day with cattle
• Omagh railway station with staff assembled out front
• thatched houses on High Street where imposing three Storey buildings now stand
• the old Abbey bridge with girders where there are now parapets
Clearly Vincent has enough knowledge and images for another talk, something welcomed by those present.