25 YEARS AGO/1985
Omagh an 'ice box'
FOLLOWING the fairly mild holiday period weather, over Christmas and the New Year, Tyrone in general and Omagh in particular has received a shock - experiencing one of the coldest frosts ever to have hit the district. In fact, Omagh has the unenviable record of being the 'ice box' of the North and Britain, with temperatures plummeting to an all-time low of minus 12 degrees centigrade, making conditions treacherous for motorists and pedestrians alike. The sudden drop in temperatures took everyone by surprise, with homes and schools experiencing problems with heating and from burst pipes, in the Siberian conditions. While Roads Service has kept main roads open, those of 'less priority' classification were impassable each morning and night. In housing estates, roadways were like ice-rinks.
£275,000 award
A 16-YEAR-OLD Mountfield girl, who was seriously injured after being struck by a bus at the Ulsterbus depot in Omagh, has been awarded damages of £275,000 in the High Court. The award figure is believed to be a record for personal injuries in Northern Ireland.
Through her father, the girl sued Ulsterbus Ltd, of Milewater Road, Belfast and a driver employed by the company. The girl was on her way home from school on November 28 1980, and was standing beside a bus at the Omagh depot when, she claimed, it suddenly moved off and drove over her. She suffered fractures of her pelvis and both legs and underwent five operations. Skin grafting was carried out and it was claimed that the injuries had left gross scarring on her left leg.
50 YEARS AGO/1960
'B' men lose votes
GOOD work by Nationalist registration agents has resulted in 32 'B' Specials being struck off the voters' list at Ballygawley. This follows the disclosure that large bodies of 'B' men drafted into areas along the Border were being at once registered for the Parliamentary vote, and it was pointed out at the time that if this practice became widespread it would be possible for Unionists to 'pack' marginal areas when elections were imminent. The decision to strike off the 'B' men on the Ballygawley lists was made at Clogher Revision Sessions, when the Revising Officer, RH McCoy heard sustained nationalist objections to the inclusion of the 'Specials' on the list. Presenting the nationalist case, Patrick Kelly argued that as the period of service of the Reserve Force Platoon, which operates in several areas along the border, was not more than six months, their employment could not be held to be other than seasonal, and as such did not entitle them to vote other than in their home place.
Girl stole decorations
JUST a week before Christmas, a little girl went into the store of FA Wellworths in Omagh and stole balloons and Christmas decorations to the value of 4s 7d. She told a Children's Court that there were no Christmas decorations in her home and she wanted some.
The girl's father said she had been in the store before but had never taken anything. Normally his daughter was well behaved and he did not know what made her commit the offence. The RM said it was a serious offence and the girl yielded to temptation on the spur of the moment. He granted her an absolute discharge.
75 YEARS AGO/1935
Detonator explodes
A BOY named Joseph Sharkey, aged 13, son of James Sharkey, Gillygooley, Omagh was the victim of a rather serious accident at his home when a detonator he was playing with exploded and inflicted severe injuries to the left hand, lacerating the index finger and blowing off part of the thumb.
He was taken to the County Hospital where he is progressing favourably. The detonator had been lying in a bowl in the house for several years, but the boy was completely unaware of its danger.
Smuggling affray
WHAT was described as an exciting encounter took place in the townland of Curraghmacall, near Drumquin, between four police constables and a number of men who were alleged to be smuggling across the border.
The four constables were on customs duty and they motored from Drumquin, but when they had gone some distance they got out of the car and proceeded on foot.
After travelling about two miles they saw a large number of cattle coming in single file over the mountain. The police concealed themselves and shortly afterwards a number of men appeared.
The police arrested six men after a fierce encounter ensued in the course of which sticks and fists were freely used.
Five of the men managed to escape, the police seized 37 head of cattle, value of about £330, and removed them to Drumquin. In addition, they also seized a bicycle lamp, a hat and a coat.
100 YEARS AGO/1910
Irish language in Omagh
CLASSES in connection with the Omagh branch of the Gaelic League have been resumed after the Christmas holidays. Good progress is being made with the children's classes, and the membership is increasing every week, but the adult classes are not being patronised in the manner they should be in a town like Omagh. The branch has secured the services of a capable certified teacher who spares no pains in imparting a thorough knowledge of our national language. It is to be hoped, therefore, that a large number will get enrolled as members on Sunday night, and show by their presence that they don't intend to lag in the ranks of Irish Ireland. A very suitable hall in Castle Street has been secured by the branch. It is intended to enlarge the body of work by the addition of Irish dancing.
Echo of Strabane robbery
AT Newark Borough Quarter Sessions, William Rose, 72, of Sheffield, was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude for burglary at Newark. When arrested at Belfast the prisoner had £23 in notes and gold, a receipt for £53 on the Glasgow Linen Bank and deposits in other banks to the amount of £500.
The prisoner, immediately after being acquitted at the Ulster Winter Assizes at Belfast on a charge of robbery at Strabane Railway Station, was re-arrested and conveyed to Newark, Nottingham.
Prisoner, when originally arrested at Portadown by Sergeant Long in the Strabane case, gave an address in Hope Street, Glasgow.
- Nigel McDonagh
