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Flying display, Sedan Avenue, Omagh
Flying display, Sedan Avenue, Omagh
I took this shot from the balcony of the old pavilion belonging to the Tyrone Farming Society. It was part of a flying display by the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards helicopter team in the Army's Ulster Tattoo held on 13th-14th Sept, 1968. According to the local papers, between 10,000 and 12,000 spectators attended. There was also a freefall descent by the Red Devils parachute regiment, a motorbike display and performances by marching bands. I spent a couple of days in the library scanning the archives to ascertain the date. No such display by the army took place again as the troubles started in 1969. This was near the same location as the triangle on the tarmac in this shot looking north-east at the Retail Park. In the background, St Patrick's football grounds and the Army buildings at Lisanelly can be seen. These are not visible now with the erection of the new shops. Badminton used to be played in the pavilion by members of the Park Club and another use was auction sales
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I took this picture in 1971 at the Tyrone Farming Society's Annual Show, held in the Showgrounds at Sedan Avenue, which is now a retail park. The driver and his passenger got ready to jump as their gig tilted at a crazy angle and headed straight for a one of the jumps. Both men were unhurt but the gig was wrecked as it hit the jump and the horse, still trailing part of it, charged into the crowd. I was excited to get the picture onto one of the front page of the local newspapers. A racecourse known as the showgrounds may have been one of the original facilities provided for the town by the Fleming family of Campsie House in the late 1800s in this location
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Showgrounds Retail Park, Omagh
Things look a lot different from what they were before, when It was known as Omagh Showgrounds and was owned by the Tyrone Farming Society. Just in front of the triangle marking, in 1971 a couple of contestants in a horse driving match had a lucky escape.
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