Author: OPC

Wednesday 23 October 2024 : Speaker: Mr David Kyle-Ewing
Topic: Motor Homes and Motor Homing

As former chairman of the Motor Caravan Club Northern Ireland [MCCNI] and member of Omagh Probus Club, David brought to the meeting many years of experience of owning, maintaining and driving a motor home all over Ireland North and South as well as in Great Britain and mainland Europe. He began by explaining that motor homes come in all sizes and, with price tags ranging from £55,000 to £2million, you get what you pay for in terms of size, comfort and luxury. However, all new motor homes have batteries from which to run fridge/freezers, cookers, microwaves, showers, TV’s etc. Camp sites with full facilities for overnight stops are abundant and bookable, making planning for family holidays relatively straight forward for those who can read maps and navigate European motorways.
Over time a motor home can save money on travel and accommodation and provide comfort and convenience while touring at home and abroad. David has found not only adventure on his travels but also made many friends through rallies, campgrounds and online forums. When parked up on “Aires” in France and elsewhere he related how he had met amazing people with great stories to tell of their adventures. As a family the Kyle-Ewing’s have visited some 16 countries, many more than once, and in every case loved their unique scenery, culture and friendliness.
The costs of running a motor home – Road Tax, Insurance, Servicing and Maintenance – were among topics that came up in the wide-ranging question and answer session which followed David’s talk.   A warm vote of thanks was given on behalf of the club by Hugh Ward.

Wednesday 16th October 2024 Speaker: Mr Victor Russell:
Proprietor of Russell’s Clothing and Shoe Shop, High Street Omagh
Topic: “My Life and Times”

In keeping with a long-standing tradition in Omagh Probus Club that new members speak about “Their Life and Times”, Mr Victor Russell gave a fascinating talk about Russell’s family business on Omagh High Street. Victor’s first foray into business was in his teenage years when he and a friend created a fledgling philately business – buying and selling colourful postage stamps from around the world. It did not fly. At University he took a degree in Business Studies followed by a post-graduate course in Economics. During his time at “uni” he travelled extensively in the United States, paying for his trip with his earnings from work on an ice cream van.

Back home in Omagh employment in London beckoned but he was drawn into the family business on the short term to help out when his father became unwell.  What began as a temporary arrangement became permanent, provoked in part by a car bomb in 1978 at the old Town Hall which did severe structural damage to Russell’s.  Victor took the opportunity to rebuild, refurbish and reconfigure the shop, with a new frontage, new counters, new displays and, most significantly, new stock.  To make a long story short, Victor’s life’s work has been to stay abreast of the times, ever on the alert for changes in fashion and new trends.  The level of success which his shop enjoys has been achieved by securing a number of franchises, notably Kickers and United Colors of Benetton, as well as making regular buying trips to major footwear events in Europe, notably in Milan in Italy.

Victor illustrated his talk with a wide selection of photographs taken down the years. Now semi-retired Victor is happy to let his son, Josh, take over, while he enjoys a well-earned retirement, from one of Omagh’s most successful and respected businesses.

 

Wednesday 2 October 2024.  Speaker Mr Peter Archdale, Ornithologist 

Omagh Men’s Probus Club resumed meetings after the summer recess on Wednesday 2nd October 2024; meetings are held weekly at 10.30 in Omagh Golf Club and are open to all men retired or semi-retired.

The first speaker of the new year was Mr Peter Archdale. Peter is an ornithologist who takes a keen interest in local bird life, trapping them, ringing them and releasing them back into the wild. His talk was illustrated by photographs of the Mist Nets which are used to catch the birds, and pictures of the many species and varieties caught in the nets. Up to 40 birds could be ensnared in an hour or so on a calm sunny morning. Between June 2022 and June 2024, 1064 birds were netted in Peter’s garden. Each one was identified, weighed, measured and given a health check before being released unharmed. In all 35 different species were recorded; most were common varieties such as bluetits, and finches but also trapped were some rarely seen in gardens such as goldcrests, jays, and great spotted woodpeckers.

Mr Archdale’s talk was entitled “Why ring birds”. The data which he and his fellow enthusiasts collect is fed into a national database which provides an overall picture of the health of the bird population in Great Britain. When pooled with similar data from other countries in Western Europe, Africa and North America an amazing picture emerges that informs conservationists about which species and regions need special consideration. During his talk Peter went online to demonstrate a number of websites with fascinating information about local and national birdlife. Of particular interest is the website of the British Trust for Ornithology, www.bto.org. Well worth a visit, as is www.bto.org/cuckoos.

Recently Peter hosted a group of volunteers from different parts of Northern Ireland. In addition to training about the techniques of bird ringing ethical behaviour in conservation was emphasised.

 

PROBUS SUMMER OUTING:  THURSDAY, 6 JUNE 2024

 Members of Omagh Ladies Men’s Probus Clubs on a joint outing to Castle Espie Wildfowl and Wetland Trust Reserve, Comber, Co Down

Photograph: Courtesy Brigid Watson, Sustainable Journeys Ireland

80 years to the day when Allied Troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, Members of Omagh Men’s and Ladies Probus Clubs headed for the shores of Strangford Lough on a visit to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Centre at Castle Espie, Comber County Down.   Seated comfortably on a luxury coach provided by Lynch Travel, Castlederg, the 30 strong party departed Omagh at 10.00 am.    Following a brief stop at Oxford Island Discovery Centre, just to break the journey, the group arrived at Castle Espie at 12.45 pm.  Over refreshments in the café the party received an  introductory talk about the Reserve before leaving on a tour of the site led by  Brigid Watson, whose CV included a spell as Head of Geography in CBS Omagh.

The reserve is home to a wide variety of waterfowl species – ducks, geese, swans, gulls, moorhens, coots, curlews, egrets, herons and more.  Each Autumn over 16,000 Brent Geese – about 70% of the European population – arrive from Northern Canada to spend the winter on Strangford Lough   The geese are not the only migratory birds to touch down in Castle Espie, their overall numbers and variety making the reserve very popular with Northern Ireland’s ornithologists.  Castle Espie works closely with the Slimbridge Nature Reserve in Gloustershire to ensure the survival of endangered species, with some notable successes in saving birds from the verge of extinction.

On the way home the party stopped off at Canavan’s Restaurant, Garvaghy, for an evening meal, a convivial event which rounded off an outing thoroughly enjoyed by members and guests alike.

Wednesday 16th May;  The Club Archive,  Speaker, Jim McBain

On Wednesday 15th May members received a talk from Probus member Jim McBain about the club archive.   Housed in hardback notebooks, wedding albums and art folders the archive provides interesting insights into the history of the club since its formation in 1977.   In that time Probus has hosted over 200 speakers who have addressed a wide range of topics. Many of these have been by club members talking about their interests and enthusiasms.  Invited guests have addressed a diverse range of topics including art, chemistry, history, geography, engineering medicine, sociology, politics and philosophy – the common factor being that all were engaging and enjoyable.

Th full text of Jim’s talk about the Club Archives can be viewed by clicking on the following  link.  Jim Text Archive

The guest speaker on Wednesday 1st May was Dr Johnny Hamill, an authority on the history of Omagh Gaol.  Dr Hamill included in his talk how society’s attitude to Crime and Punishment has changed since 1800.  Back then gaols were run on the principle of three ”P’s” – Protection, Prevention and Punishment, with “whip and ship” being common sentences for criminals. “[Ship” being transportation to colonies in the new world.] As enlightenment grew the 3 “P’s” were replaced by the three ”R’s” – Reform, Re-educate and Rehabilitate, aimed at giving prisoners a fresh start on release.

In Britain prisons built new in the early 1800’s, such as Pentonville in London, incorporated these principles in their design and architecture. To some extent this was true of the new gaol opened in Omagh in 1804 because over time it contributed significantly to the local economy. For example, all the blankets and sheets needed to furnish the “Lunatic Asylum” in Omagh which opened in 1853 were woven in Omagh Gaol. Coir mats made in the gaol were sold in the town market with a share of the proceeds being given as a lump sum to prisoners on their release to tide them over until they found paid employment.

Dr Hamill had with him a list of those hanged in Omagh gaol and was able to recount the crimes for which they had been sentenced. Of the six in total who were executed, two were policemen! Little remains of the original complex, but the Governor’s House which occupied a site in the middle of the gaol still stands and is in good enough condition to be refurbished. One possible use for it would be as a town museum – something that Omagh lacks and needs. Dr Hamill was warmly thanked by Club President, Mr Felim O’Neill, for a most interesting and informative talk.

 

Omagh Probus Inter-club quiz 2024
Phots below- scroll down

Omagh Probus annual Inter-club Quiz was held in Omagh Golf Club on Wednesday 17^th April 2024 with nine teams competing.   First held in 1985 the Inter-club Quiz has been a highlight of the Probus year in the west of the Province for some 36 years; however Covid and declining membership in local Probus Clubs has resulted in fewer Clubs and fewer teams being able to participate.  Those that were represented this year were Enniskillen, Londonderry, Omagh Ladies and Omagh Men’s, with a team from the Golf Club invited to make up numbers and make the event more of a competition.

In the event it was a lovely morning with some 40 players enjoying a fun event as they chatted between rounds of the Quiz and renewed friendships formed in previous competitions. The Quizmasters were Peter and Margaret Cummings who challenged players with a wide variety of questions most of which were answerable but with enough tricky ones to leave the Omagh Ladies 1^st team clear winners.  The competition has two trophies – The James Eakin Shield for the best team overall and the Bert McCrory Cup for the best Omagh Team.   For the first time both were won by an Omagh team, and the Ladies were thrilled to have achieved it.

At the close of the event Probus President, Mr Felim O’Neill, expressed appreciation to Quiz Masters Peter and Margaret Cummings and all who had pulled together to make the event memorable, successful and enjoyable.

Probus Outing Wednesday 3 April 2024:  Pat Kirk Showrooms, Omagh

On Wednesday 3 April the club visited the newly refurbished showrooms of Pat Kirk Ltd on the Brookmount Road, Omagh.  Seventeen members attended and on arrival were warmly welcomed by Mr Pat Kirk himself.   Seated in the board room they were treated to tea, coffee and a lavish array of pastries, before Mr Peter Dermott gave an overview of this renowned family-owned enterprise.

Now in its third generation the business was started by “grandad” Pat who opened a petrol station in Strabane in 1963.  He gradually moved into sales, stocking tyres, batteries, brakes etc before becoming a Vauxhall A.S.O. [Authorised Servicing Operative.]  This continued very successfully until the mid-90’s when Vauxhall rationalized in Northern Ireland and Kirk’s lost out. The family responded by writing to every car maker from Audi to Volvo promoting their business and were successful in attracting the interest of Mazda. Determined enterprising won them franchises for Nissan and Ford as well, and to some extent the rest is history.

Not that it was plain sailing or easy. The move from their original location in Omagh on the Gortin Road to the present site on the Brookmount Road – on St Patrick’s Day 2005 – was fraught with difficulty but marked a turning point in the fortunes of the company.  Nor have things stood still in Strabane, the business having relocated three times from its original home on Railway Street; it is now located on Bradley Way.

Today Pat Kirk Ltd is a major employer. The company has a policy of recruiting young men and women from college and supporting them while they develop into skilled mechanics, salespersons, etc. Government policy dictates the future of motor manufacturing and sales. The decision to “go green” by 2035 and focus on Electric vehicles [EV’s] will engage the minds of all in the motor trade for the foreseeable future. However, Mr Pat Kirk and his family are clearly up for the challenge, determined to build on the success of the past, and provide for the population of Omagh and beyond, with first class motor sales and service.

Wed. 21 Feb. 2024; Speaker, Mr Hugh Ward; Topic, The Drumnakilly Urns
The President welcomed everyone and opened the meeting by conferring Honorary Membership on Sam Bullock and Brian Duncan, because they had turned 90.  Both were congratulated on their regular attendance and their continuing loyalty to the club.  Sam and Brian were presented with Honorary Membership Certificates along with warmest best wishes for continued good health and the hopes of members that they would be long be spared to come to meetings.

 

 

In line with the decision taken at the AGM in January that the second meeting of each month should be led by one of our own members, Mr Hugh Ward stepped up to the plate with a well-researched talk about the Drumnakilly Urns. It is a topic which has long fascinated our immediate Past-President, partly on the basis of his interest in local history but mostly because he is a native of Drumnakilly. The story begins in the month of May 1870 when an urn with magnificent detail was found by a labourer trenching potatoes. The find excited considerable local interest as well as the interest of Irish archaeologists who visited the site and unearthed further examples. Their remarkable state of preservation belies their age. The style of decoration has been compared with pottery from Newgrange, an ancient monument some 5000 years old. To read the full text of Hugh’s talk click Drumnakilly Urns Text.

Wed 6 March 2024:  Speaker Mr Vincent Brogan from Omagh Heritage Forum

The guest speaker on Wednesday 6th March was Mr Vincent Brogan from the Omagh Heritage Forum. The theme of his talk was Listed buildings in Omagh, which he identified by reference to the website Historic Map Viewer. This brought up a map of Omagh on which each listed building was marked by a dot. He demonstrated how a single click on a dot opens a sub-menu detailing the name of the property, its address and date of construction and the category of listed building into which it falls – Grade A being the highest. The only Grade A listed building in Omagh is the Sacred Heart Church.  This beautiful church was constructed between 1892 and 1899 by Colhoun Brothers, Derry who were, at the same time, working on the construction of the 1st Omagh Presbyterian Church on the Dublin Road.
However, Historic Map Viewer reveals several Grade B listed buildings in Omagh, about which a wealth of information can be uncovered by scrolling around the map.  The buildings examined by Mr Brogan in his perusal of the town included, the Courthouse, Omagh Gaol, St Lucia Barracks, The Royal Arms Hotel, the High Street Banks, the County Club, and the Protestant churches on Church Street – St Columba’s, The Methodist Church and Trinity Presbyterian.  Supported by photographs from Dr Haldane Mitchell’s Images of Omagh series, and Martin Taggart’s collection of vintage postcards, Vincent provided a fascinating and informative talk about Omagh and its heritage.