Author: OPC

The speaker on Wednesday 16th April 2026 was club member, Jim McBride, talking about AI (Artificial Intelligence).  Jim’s background in computing meant he was able to address the topic with insight and understanding. He began with a brief history of innovation showing that AI was born during World War II when Alan Turing helped break the German enigma code at Bletchley Park, proving that machines could perform complex reasoning tasks.

After the Second World War when Europe and Japan were rebuilding America forged ahead attracting the best scientists from around the world. The leading companies in the early days where AT&T and Bell Labs, which pioneered programming and developed transistors. Big names followed including Intel, IBM, Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft. which clustered in a part of California that became known as Silicon Valley.

The breakthrough to modern AI came as recently as 2017 when Google researchers introduced the transformer and new architecture that could understand language far better than anything before. This single idea led directly to a bunch of AI providers including ChatGTP, Gemini, Claude, and Co-pilot. These systems are so capable that they are being used to build the next generation of AI machines.

Jim demonstrated the power of AI by playing a poem about Omagh written by AI and set to music composed by AI. All were impressed. There followed a lively question and answer session which ran well past the hour at which the club normally closes.

 

The speaker on Wed 8th April 2026 was club member Kenneth Collins and the topic was Omagh Workhouse. This well illustrated address was the result of detailed research enhanced by the fact that Kenneth had actually worked in the same building during one of its later iterations.
In the Ireland of 1800 with a population of eight million it is estimated that two million were living in varying degrees of destitution. In 1838 the Irish Poor Relief Act was passed and across the country Commissioners set up 163 Poor Law Unions each with a workhouse.

Each had a Board of Guardians (29 members – mainly from the landed gentry plus 9 ex-officio members). The Omagh Union was larger than most taking in an area of 272 square miles. A suitable six acre site was identified between Woodside Terrace and St Julian’s Road and George Wilkinson (an Oxford architect) was selected to draw up plans. The Board of Guardians borrowed funds from the Exchequer Loan Office on the basis of a long term loan. The contract for £6557 was agreed in 1839 and building opened in 1841.

The standard design was on the basis of full segregation of the 800 inmates – men, women, boys and girls. The complex included an admissions block, exercise yards, dormitory blocks, a kitchen, dining hall, school room, infirmary, laundry, a building called the idiots’ block and a mortuary (or dead house). Kenneth included the only surviving photograph of the Omagh building – an excellent shot of the Admissions Block.

The Omagh Union had a working farm and an agriculturist so the daily activities were farming and breaking stones for men and laundry and food preparation for women. Daily routine consisted of a 6am bell, 6.30 roll call, prayers, grace and breakfast. 7.30 work. 12noon to 2pm dinner, 2pm back to work.
The regime was harsh and boys were caned for misbehaviour. However there is some evidence that Omagh may have been a more progressive institution. In 1880 the Master took 40 children on an excursion to Bundoran.

There are very few remaining records so Kenneth searched back copies of the Constitution for reports relating to the workhouse. During the famine occupancy rose to 1177 inmates and fever spread rapidly. In 1848 George Wilkinson was brought back to design a Fever Hospital.
Many workhouses were converted into hospitals (for example Limavady) but in 1922 a meeting of the Board of Guardians decided not to follow this route as the Tyrone County Hospital fulfilled that role.
In 1948 the NHS arrived and the workhouse finally closed its doors after 107 years. The building then became Omagh General Hospital and a maternity wing was added.
In 1954 when Omagh Rural District Council occupied part of the building Kenneth was employed as a Building Surveyor and he was based in an office there.
In 2006 the Workhouse/General Hospital was demolished and it is a matter of considerable regret that today there is no evidence on site that this iconic building ever existed.

OMAGH MEN’S PROBUS CLUB

The final meeting of the spring session on Wednesday 18th March was a visit to the Strule Educational Campus. On arrival the party, comprised of 15 men and five ladies from the Ladies Club, was met by Mr Gavin Boyd from SIB [Strategic Investment Board] who gave an introductory talk outlining the  development of the project. When complete in 2028 the campus will accommodate some 4000 students in the age range 11 to 18, with the capacity to expand to 4500 should the need arise.

Mr Boyd explained that work is well underway on the construction of 9 buildings comprised of 6 schools – namely Omagh Academy, Omagh High, Loretto Convent, Christian Brothers. Sacred Heart and Arvalee Special School [already open on site]. In addition, 3 shared units were identified as “The Hub”, a Sixth Form centre with a seating capacity of 400, a sports centre and the pavilion adjacent to the playing fields with showers and changing rooms. He emphasised the concept of shared facilities. Junior pupils in Years 1 – 3 will be taught in their home school. GCSE pupils [Years 4 and 5] would have some interchange and A-level students are to be taught in mixed groups in The Hub.

Mr Boyd expressed his willingness to take questions and throughout his talk members raised numerous issues including, the safeguarding of young people moving between buildings, drop off in the mornings pick up in the afternoons, bus and car parking, traffic management on and around the campus, school meals provision and student access to the town centre. Interest was such that the conversation could have encroached on the time set aside to visit the viewing area. From a site overlooking The Hub visitors gained a clear idea of the scale of the project reflecting that when complete it would be a place of wonderment, excellence, and pride.

Following the visit Probus members enjoyed lunch n the Silverbirch Hotel.

QUIZ,  Wednesday 11 March 2026

The meeting on Wednesday 11th March took the form of a quiz with three teams of men and a team from Omagh ladies probus. The question master was Mrs Anne McBain with Mrs Dorothy Haugh and Mrs Ann Orr, acting as markers and scorekeepers.  In all there were 8 rounds of 10 questions each, testing general knowledge across a diverse number of subjects. Three picture rounds were based on world famous landmarks, car badges, inventors, and inventions. Questions on history, geography, art, and literature also featured in what turned out to be a fun morning. Easter eggs were presented to the winning team and to the ladies for their sterling work on the adjudicator’s table.

At the close of the session club President, Aidan Quinn, thanked everyone for their friendly participation and Jim and Anne for providing refreshments served to members and guests on arrival. He expressed special appreciation to club member, Jim Graham, who had organised the quiz and who in the days prior to the event had convened meetings with his team to set the questions and prepare for the event. Jim and his team were warmly thanked by all present, with the success of the morning marked by expressions of hope that the quiz might be held again at some stage in the future.

No club business was conducted on the 11 March, all the time being devoted to the quiz and the companionship it engendered among members and guests.

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

The guest speaker was Mr Arthur Rainey talking about the Ulster Project. He began by asking if any of those present had family members participate in the scheme. A goodly number had children and grandchildren who had been to America with the Project. There was willing testimony to the lasting value of the scheme in terms of friendships formed and perceptions altered. It was readily acknowledged that the ongoing success of the Ulster Project among the churches in Omagh is testament to the pioneering energy and drive of the late Fr. Kevin Mullan and his Protestant counterpart, Mr Ed Wiltshire.

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