Category: Speakers

All-Ireland Rally 15 – 16 May, hosted by the Probus 97 Tralee

Omagh Probus was well represented at the All-Ireland Rally.  In all 14 persons travelled south – the six members of the Club in the photo above accompanied by their respective wives along with Miss Audrey Hodge and Ms Hazel Richards from Omagh Ladies Probus Club.  Following a wine reception on Tuesday evening the Rally got off to an uplifting start with a wonderful concert featuring the Opus 96 Chamber Choir supported by the Realtain Nua [New Stars] Traditional Music Group.  On Wednesday Mr Liam Sawers, Chairman of the Rally Steering Committee introduced Ms Norma Foyley, Mayor of Tralee, who warmly welcomed delegates and guests, in an address seconded by Mr Gareth Arnold, District Governor of Rotary International, Ireland.   The Chairman then called upon Jim McBain to give a brief report on the 2017 Rally in Omagh.  He was followed to the podium by Dr. Darragh Naughton who gave a very interesting and informative talk on “Audiology Medical Services” in the Republic of Ireland.

Next onto the stage was a Kerryman with such strong local connections that a road in Tralee is named after his father.  Mr Dick Spring, former Irish International Rugby Player and Tanaiste in the Dublin Government, was greeted as an old friend and spoke in a  humorous and affectionate way about his connections with the area.  The Edwin Dunlop Trophy for the Probus club which had travelled the greatest distance with the greatest number of delegates was awarded to Lurgan Probus.  After an excellent lunch efficiently served to 320 delegates in the Conference Centre of the Brandon Hotel the programme continued with a talk by Mr Justin Moran from Age Action Ireland.  The final speaker of the day was Ms Mary O’Rourke, a well known member of Dail eirann, who spoke engagingly of her life and times as parliamentarian and political activist.  The Rally was officially brought to a close by the playing of the Rally Anthem, a lovely piece of music specially composed for the 2018 All-Ireland Rally in Tralee, Co Kerry.  Members of the Omagh party were in no hurry to leave and on Thursday enjoyed a coach trip round the Ring of Kerry, before returning home on Friday.

Wednesday, 9 May 2018.  Mr Oliver Loughran: Local dances in the 50’s and 60’s

Probus Vice-President, Oliver Loughran, was member of a local dance band during the 50’s and 60’s and has many memories.  He recalled how males and females arranged themselves on opposite sides of the dance floor and it was the task of the dance band to get the lads across the floor to get things going.  The answer was usually an old-time waltz.   Dancing in parochial halls was mainly on a Sunday night – when the pubs were officially shut.  In most cases that only applied to the front door with ready access round the back, but you had to be quiet !  As times moved on commercial ballrooms began to appear in the rural west.   One of the first was the Gap Ballroom in Mullaslin, near Carrickmore.  Large by local standards it lasted only a few years before losing out to newer venues with a drinks licence and meals, the Royal Arms being a good example.    The dance bands of the day had to be in tune with political leanings of the management, it being customary to play an anthem at the end of the evening – either “God Save the Queen” or “The Soldier’s Song”.  Another custom of the day was for a young man to say to a girl, “Save the last dance for me”.   In the conversation which followed Oliver’s talk, one member recalled asking a girl for the last dance early in the evening, only to be told, “You’ve had it”.

Wednesday 2 May 2018:  Mr Gary Wilson, NI Air Ambulance

In his capacity as Area Fund Raising Manager Mr Wilson described  Air Ambulance NI as Northern Ireland’s newest and most exciting charity.  The service, he explained, was 12 months in existence after 12 years of lobbying, championed by motor-cycling enthusiast, Dr John Hinds.  Its first rescue mission took place on 22 July 2017 on the day it was commissioned when the helicopter was called in to take to hospital a  young man who  had sustained severe crush injuries in a farm accident.  Based at the Maze it has been called out over 300 times since then and can reach any part of the Province in less than 30 minutes.   A second helicopter is based at St Angelo in Enniskillen where it is used mainly for training and exists as a back-up, in that the charity cannot yet afford to operate two helicopters.   The operating costs of the one helicopter are in the order of £2 million per year – a challenging target for the charity’s fundraisers.     Air Ambulance NI is a partnership between the Charity, Babcock Aviation and the NI Ambulance Service.   Although capable of taking people to hospital it is essentially an airborne A & E Unit, crewed by a pilot, a doctor and paramedic all of whom have undergone specialised training.   Gary’s talk gave rise to many questions such as why such a worthwhile service was not in receipt of any government funding – a question which only politicians can address. He was warmly thanked for a most informative talk by club member, Eamon Cunningham.

Wednesday, 25 April 2018: Mr Wesley Acheson, Editor, Tyrone Constitution

Having congratulated Probus on being such a thriving club, Mr Acheson indicated that his talk would be about the Tyrone Constitution – its past, present and future.  The “Con” was established in 1844 by Mr John Nellis to serve the local community, a commitment which has withstood rapid advances in how newspapers are printed.  In the mid-nineteenth century the paper was produced on hand presses in Omagh;  today it is all done on computer and the paper is printed electronically in Belfast.     Wesley shared that he had joined the staff of the Tyrone Constitution in 1974 straight from school and recounted some of the stories he had covered as a cub reporter.   Regrettably “The Troubles” produced more stories that one would have wished for, the biggest being the Omagh bomb in 1998.   The paper’s coverage of this tragedy was so sensitively handled that the editorial team was honoured with a national newspaper award at a ceremony in London.  To show how the paper evolved down the years Wesley had brought with him copies of the “Con” from 1867 to modern times.   Early “Cons” cost 5 pence and were purchased mainly by well-heeled citizens who could afford the price.   The front page was filled with adverts, some of which would raise a smile if printed today.  However the “Con” remains focused on the local community in which it continues to enjoy trust, respect, and support.

Wednesday 18th April 2018, Mr Michael Deehan, St Vincent de Paul 

Founded in Paris in 1833 by a 20 year old student, Frederick Ozanam, the society exists to provide practical assistance to families in need. Its charitable work in Ireland began in 1844 and today there are branches through the country.   Each branch is referred to as a “conference” and there are seven conferences in to the local area – Omagh, Killyclogher, Strathroy, Beragh, Fintona, Carrickmore and Dromore.   St Vincent de Paul is a cross-community charity which, in addition to material support, provides specialist advice on debt relief and how to become self-sufficient.  It exerts political pressure when possible to alleviate situations creating difficulties for the poor and also collaborates with international organisations in times of crisis to help refugees as in Calais.  Locally SVDP is well known for collecting household goods and clothing which it can pass on to those in need or sell to raise funds. One of its better known projects is the sale of Christmas trees in the car park in Killyclogher.   Mr Deehan was keen to stress that all assistance offered by the society is provided on a non-judgemental basis and is entirely confidential. He was thanked for his address by Probus President, Paddy McGowan.

Annual Inter-Club Quiz, Wednesday 11th April 2018 

This year 17 teams participated in the annual Inter-club quiz with entrants from Probus Clubs in Cookstown, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Londonderry, Strabane & Lifford, and Omagh Men’s and Ladies. The quiz master was Mr Joseph Cummings assisted by volunteers from the Omagh Clubs. The raffle, in the capable hands of John Robson, raised £330.00 – more than enough to cover the costs of hosting the event. After 8 rounds the  Londonderry Probus Club Team 1 was awarded the James Eakin Shield for the 5th consecutive year.  The Bert McCrory Cup for the best performing Omagh Team went to Omagh Ladies who were also runners-up overall. Photographers from the local papers were on hand to record and publicise a very successful event in the Probus Calendar of West Ulster.  Photographs have also been posted on Facebook and can be viewed by clicking on the following link https://www.facebook.com/Omagh-Probus-Club-Inter-Club-Quiz-2018-628415854179753/

Wednesday 4 April 2018: Mr Geoffrey Simpson: Antiques and Antiquities

Geoffrey began his talk by literally blowing his own trumpet – in this case a bronze age ox horn some 3000 years old.   This gave him the opportunity to explain that his interests are in both Antiquities [items that are very old] and Antiques [items around 100 years old].  He had brought with him a number of objects of both types and started by passing round a 200 million year old fossil from the Jurassic Period.   Common in the Lias Clay beds on the Antrim coast it was thought to be one of the Devils Toenails before being properly identified as an early mollusc. This exhibit was followed by a polished segment of dinosaur jawbone [complete with teeth] before showing off some stone-age axe heads crafted from volcanic porcellanite and flint.   The bronze age saw the arrival in Ireland of Celtic smiths and the first jewellery delicately worked in gold and bronze.   Members were enthralled by a beautifully decorated gold ring from this period.   Moving on to the modern era Geoffrey passed around a number of small items, the most intriguing of which was a tobacco box which once contained Dr White’s Glasgow Presbyterian Mixture as smoked by the Rt Hon Stanley Baldwin; at least that is what it said on the tin.   Other items included ivory pill boxes and snuff boxes, suddenly back in fashion in some quarters as receptacles for cocaine.  He was thanked for a most interesting talk by Probian, Michael Cooney.

Wednesday 28th March 2018:  Stephen McKenna:  The History of Omagh

Guest speaker Stephen McKenna took as his theme the history of Omagh.  The name “Omagh” indicates a plain but the origin of Omagh is obscure. In jocular mood Stephen said a hermit resident in early Omagh described it as “a den of thieves and robbers” and a papal envoy travelling through the area was quoted as saying that he “couldn’t get out of it quick enough”.  The early town had a Franciscan Friary located behind the Hogg’s Head pub. The 150 monks there provided various social services to the local community but with the collapse of the O’Neill dynasty the friary also came to an end. In 1768 Omagh became the county town of Tyrone. Construction of the Courthouse, completed in 1824, added to the importance of the town as an administrative centre. Also, in the nineteenth century, schools were established, hospitals built, and the town connected to the railway system. The 1880’s saw the first substantial buildings of St Lucia barracks constructed.  Lisanelly camp was developed during World War II.   Three of the main church buildings, the Methodist church, the Presbyterian Meetinghouse on the Dublin Road and the Catholic church were all replaced with new buildings close to their original sites. Stephen said Omagh can claim to be a cultural centre and he enumerated a number of writers, poets, musicians and actors of note who were or are from the town. It is a cosmopolitan and liberal town and has much to be proud of.

At the same meeting long-serving club member, Pat McCaul, was presented with his Honorary Membership Certificate, it being the custom of the Club to confer Honorary Membership on Probians who have celebrated their 90th birthday.

Wednesday 21 March 2018: Anthony (Tony) Brogan: Teaching in Uganda in the ’60’s

Shortly after graduating from the Queen’s University in 1965 with a degree in English, Tony, a former pupil of Omagh CBS, got married.  Part of his honeymoon with his new wife, Mary, was a flight to Uganda on a BOAC VC10 airliner en route to a teaching post in St Edwards CBS in Mubende.  He recalled that the first part of the journey from the airport to the school was on a paved road which became an increasingly bumpy dirt track as they penetrated deeper and deeper in to rural Uganda.   The school was soundly constructed from baked red earth bricks but otherwise rudimentary. The bigger surprise was that he and his wife were the only white people on campus, all other students and staff belonging to local tribes.   Tony began his talk to Probus with a Geography lesson, holding up a map of the world to show where Uganda was and sketch map of Uganda to show its location in East Africa.   Back in the 60’s most Ugandans were peasant farmers bartering their produce in the local markets in what was largely a cashless economy.  During his interesting talk Tony touched on local culture and customs including the influence of witch doctors and tribal chiefs.   After 6 years in the tropics he returned home to take up a teaching post in his old school.  His final anecdote was about an old country woman in rural Ulster who imagined that his three children would be black because they were born in Africa.

Wednesday 14th March; Hugh Ward: Family Trees

Club member, Hugh Ward, stated that his purpose was to encourage those who had aspirations to fill in a family tree not to be deterred because there was plenty of help and practical advice.   Various pro formas were available on-line including one published recently by the Belfast Telegraph.  He distributed a simplified construct with spaces for three generations that would likely cover the first 100 years of family history.  But where to start?  He recommended talking to the oldest members of the family and using photograph albums to write down as many names as living memory provides.    Church and parish records in many places go back to 1864 providing records of births, deaths, and marriages.  The Griffith Evaluation, commissioned in the 19th century for purposes of rural taxation, today shows who owned or rented every field and farm in the country.  It is available on-line.   The first census in Ireland was conducted in 1821 and every 10 years thereafter except the record is not complete due in part to the burning of the Public Record Office in Dublin in 1922.  Old school roll books, many now housed in the Northern Ireland Public Record Office are worth examining as are back copies of local papers, now available in microfilm in local  libraries.  Tombstones in graveyards can also be revealing as can local histories.  The most recent aid to researching family trees is DNA testing which reveals not just your genetic composition [e.g 4 parts Irish, 1 part Norse] but also how many members of your extended family are already on the DNA database.  Hugh’s talk was very well received and gave rise to much discussion.