Author: OPC

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.

Wednesday 18th February 2026 Speaker: Mr Jim McBride – “My Life and Times”
The speaker on Wednesday 18th February was Club Member, Mr Jim McBride, a much-travelled native of Omagh. After leaving the C.B.S., he joined the family business, driving a delivery van for his father’s bakery. In 1964 he emigrated to America and joined his cousin in New York. However, he was soon drafted into the United States Army. Following basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, he was assigned to an administrative post in Maryland. After successfully completing a military management course, he was deployed to Vietnam.

Although serving in an administrative capacity, Jim was stationed at a base in a remote jungle location which was periodically subject to enemy attack. He spoke of the realities of military life in a conflict zone and the challenges faced by those serving far from home during a turbulent period in history.
After completing two years of service, he returned to civilian life in New York. Among other roles, he worked as a taxi driver while studying part-time for a degree in Mathematics. This was the mid-1970s, when computing was beginning to expand rapidly. Seeing an opportunity, Jim established his own computer manufacturing company and for a time encountered leading figures of the emerging industry, including Bill Gates of Microsoft and Steve Jobs of Apple.

Unable to compete with the increasingly dominant large corporations entering the field, he later joined IBM. He was working in New York on 11 September 2001 and was approximately half a mile away in the Wall Street area when the second aircraft struck the South Tower of the World Trade Centre. He recalled feeling the ground shudder at the moment of impact — an experience that left a lasting impression.

In 1999 he changed direction once again and, after undertaking an intensive Spanish course, moved to Ecuador, where he lived and worked for the next five years. During that time he visited the Galápagos Islands and the Amazon rainforest before eventually retiring to Omagh and returning to the heart of his family. His wide-ranging and engaging account of his life experiences was warmly received by members, who expressed their appreciation for a most interesting and memorable presentation.

Wednesday 11 February2026: Speaker, Mr Oliver Loughran
The speaker on Wednesday 11th February was Club member, Oliver Loughran, reminiscing about Ballygawley and the changes he has seen in the town in his lifetime.  In terms of geography, Oliver claimed that Ballygawley always saw itself as part of the Clogher valley. While Augher, Clogher and Fivemiletown each have their own distinctive characteristics, Ballygawley was a place apart and continues to be so.

It was the first village in the region to have electricity, the power being generated by a hydro-electric turbine in the local river. It was operated by Oliver’s father until 1947 when electricity supply to the country was “nationalised” and taken over  the forerunner of NIE. From 1887 to 1942 it was an important staging post on the Clogher Valley Railway, at a time when Aughnacloy was the commercial hub of the region.

The closure of the railway came at a time when road transport was growing, particularly in the use of lorries. In recent years, the most significant development has been the opening of the A4 dual carriageway, effectively extending the M1 motorway from Dungannon to Ballygawley. Ease of access to the East of the Province has placed the town within commuting distance of Craigavon and Belfast, leading to a rapid expansion in housebuilding.  The town is now well provided for with shops, schools, restaurants, and other services for comfortable living in the 21st century.

Oliver’s talk sparked a lively conversation giving members the opportunity to share their own memories of the town and its environs.

Omagh Probus Club Wednesday 4th February 2026 – Arthur Rainey

Arthur outlined the origins of the Project. It began in the early 1970’s in Belfast, at the height of the troubles, when swathes of the city were under the control of paramilitaries and opportunities for young people to meet across the barricades were non-existent. In the early days 27 centres in 21 states across the USA and Canada hosted young people from 9 centres in Ulster including Belfast, Derry, Enniskillen and Omagh. At its height over 40 young persons from Omagh participated each year. Today the scheme operates with 7 centres in the United States and 5 in Northern Ireland

On 1st November 2025 two Archbishops, two Bishops and the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland together with a large congregation from both sides of the community met in Enniskillen to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Ulster Project. Fifty years on from its foundation in 1975 the Project has slimmed down.

Arthur concluded that a number of factors have contributed to the decline. Firstly, the Good Friday Agreement altered the perception of life in Northern Ireland in the USA. It appeared from the outside that peace had been established and the need for cross-community initiatives diminished. Covid put a halt to the Project for a time, a hiatus from which it has not fully recovered. The cost of living has made host families harder to find. Yet despite the perceived obstacles the Ulster Project continues to send young people from Northern Ireland on four-week visits to the United States where attitudes and values are challenged and unconscious prejudices replaced by trust, respect and friendship.

A lively discussion followed which touched on many current issues confronting schools, teachers and pupils. As ever in education desirable outcomes are easily identified – practical solutions less so. Mr Rainey was warmly thanked for his talk by club member, Jim McBain

 Wednesday 28 January 2026: Mr Daryl Simpson

The expression “local lad made good” is one that rests comfortably on Daryl Simpson, a distinguished member of the Celtic Tenors and singer and musician in his own right. Following A-levels in Omagh Academy, Daryl progressed to the Queens University, Belfast where he took a degree in Music before embracing the challenge of becoming an opera singer. During the seven years of training which this required, Daryl travelled all over Europe perfecting his voice and studying drama, dance, fencing and all the other stage crafts which underpin classical opera. In the course of his travels, he met and was was encouraged by some of the great tenors of the modern era including Placido Domingo.

Daryl’s talk was as much a Masterclass in singing, as it was about his career since graduating. Many times during his talk he reached for his guitar to sing phrases from different operas by different composers to demonstrate the variety of vocal techniques required to perform in front of live audiences in large concert halls. He also explained how making records had changed over the years and how today computers can digitally enhance performance.

Daryl has been a member of the Celtic Tenors for nigh on twenty years, a trio of Irish tenors who have travelled widely bringing classical and traditional music to audiences around the world. Wherever they perform the group is invariably requested to sing Nessun Dorma, an aria from Italian opera, ever associated with Pavarotti. The high notes at the end represent a pinnacle of achievement for all would-be tenors, and Daryl proved his talent and stature by hitting them in Omagh Golf Cub to an audience of very impressed and appreciative club members.

In a lively question and answer session his role in the formation of the Omagh Community Choir in 1998 following the Omagh Bomb was acknowledged and applauded. He was thanked for a fascinating and memorable presentation by Club Member, Eamon Cunningham.

Probus Wednesday 21 January 2026.

The speaker on Wednesday 21st January was Dr Dominic Pinto OBE, returning to Probus after a gap of 8 Years. In February 2018 Dr Pinto gave a memorable account of his time in Tyrone County Hospital from his appointment as Consultant Surgeon in 1980 until the closure of the hospital in 2017. His talk on this occasion could be described as a “Prequel” in that he spoke about his life from the age of 17 in Goa to his arrival in Omagh.
The 4th of 9 children he grew up speaking Portuguese and arrived in Kenya without a word of English. However, he quickly became fluent and having determined on a career in medicine he won a scholarship to Norwood College in London to study A-level science. His account of his voyage from Mombasa to London on a passenger ship showed that it was an experience that lived long in his memory.

While studying in London he undertook variety of jobs including working with Hungarian refugees in the aftermath of the Hungarian revolution in 1956. In 1957 he gained admission to School of Medicine in London Hospital and threw himself wholeheartedly into University life, excelling at cricket and tennis. His first posting as newly qualified doctor was to Southend Hospital, back in the day a tough part of London infamous for gangland violence.

Through it all Dr Pinto continued to study hard and passed the demanding examinations for admission to the Royal College of Surgeons. This led to a Registrar Post in Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, from where he moved on to set up a post-graduate course for surgeons in Uganda. He returned to Britain to do pioneer work for the Medical Research Council in transplant surgery and CAT scans – both at an early stage of development. After 8 years in this role he felt drawn back to “hands-on” surgery and in 1980, encouraged by a senior colleague, applied for a job in country he had never visited, in a town he had never heard of. And as they say -the rest is history.
He was warmly thanked for his talk by Club President Aidan Quinn

Probus Club AGM Wednesday 14th January 2026

Omagh Probus Club held its Annal General Meeting on Wednesday 14th January 2026 in Omagh Golf Club with 14 members present. Following a welcome by the President, the secretary read the minutes of the last AGM. In his report on 2025 Club Secretary, Alistair Orr, noted that the Club had met 27 times with an average attendance of 14, and speakers drawn in equal numbers from the ranks of our own membership and invited guests. Mr Felim O’Neill, in his capacity as out-going President, thanked members for their loyalty and support during the two years in which he had occupied the Chair. He said it had been an honour and privilege to lead the Club and hoped that it would continue to have the warmth and camaraderie which characterised weekly meetings during his time in office.

In the election of Officers for 2026 Mr Aidan Quinn was elected President and Mr Oliver Loughran, Vice-President. Mr Alistair Orr and Mr Jim Graham were re-elected as Secretary and Treasurer respectively and Mr Jim McBain retained his role as Archivist, with responsibility for the Club website and press briefings. Under Club business it was agreed to raise the annual sub from £40.00 to £50.00 and continue to meet weekly in the Golf Club at 10.30 am each Wednesday. Discussion on matters relating to a programme for 2026 including outings and annual events was deferred.

Probus Meeting 7 January 2026: Speaker Mr Gareth Hayden

Wintery weather on Tuesday 6th January introduced a degree of uncertainty about whether to go ahead or cancel. In the event the President decided to resume after the Christmas recess and 9 members braved the conditions to provide an audience for the guest speaker, Mr Gareth Hayden, Lay Pastor in Omagh Methodist Church.

Gareth had been invited to bring a New Year Message and share something of his own background and journey of faith. Born in Lurgan his first job after he left school was in a local linen factory which provided tablecloths and sheets for the “White House” – the one in Portrush!  Aged 24 he joined the RUC and after training in Police College in Enniskillen had a varied career in uniform. Gareth’s time in the RUC spanned “the Troubles” furnishing some amusing anecdotes and sobering stories.

A committed Christian from his youth, Gareth was an active member of the Police Fellowship and on retirement from the Force became a qualified Lay Preacher.  His New Year message was taken from Proverbs 2. V 1-11 in which all are encouraged to aspire to wisdom and acquire knowledge of what is right and just and fair.
Gareth was thanked for his reflections and thoughtful talk by club member Jim McBain