Diamond days: Pouring over the rich history of Broderick’s Bar…

At the heart of Omagh’s town centre, within the ‘diamond’ that connects George’s Street, James’ Street, and Castle Street, stands Broderick’s Bar.

For nearly a century, this family-owned establishment, originally known as ‘The Diamond Bar’, has been under the stewardship of the Broderick family, with Colm Broderick currently at the helm as the sole proprietor.

The legacy of Broderick’s Bar began in the early 20th century with Jack Broderick, Colm’s grandfather.

Jack had been working in The Diamond Bar as a manager under the original owner, Captain Bailey, a former naval officer, who first opened the bar in 1915.

However, by 1937 Captain Bailey retired from his bar service and sold the licenced premises to Jack in October of that year.

The Omagh man reopened the bar under the same name, advertising in the UH that he would sell ‘only the best brands of Irish and Scotch whiskey, Guinness, stout, brass ale, Brandy, and wines’.

Jack, himself, was well-known in the town even before his licensed endeavour, having been a regular at the town billiards.

Reports from the UH in 1928 showed that Jack Broderick was competing in the Omagh National Forester’s Handicap, finishing with a score of 178.

Jack’s fondness for billiards surpassed the early days of his pub ownership, and in 1946 he established his own ‘Broderick’s Cup’.

The bar’s popularity grew over time, but the war years strained the flow of the black stout river in the town

Jack’s son, Gerry, recalled how an alcohol ration was placed across the North during World War II.

Yet, the local publicans formed a tight support network.

If one bar was in an alcohol surplus, it would lend barrels of alcohol to other bars in a deficit.

Gerry recounted how loyal customers to The Diamond kept the bar alive through the tough period, adding that patrons would fill the bar just to chat even when there was no drink to be had.

During the war years, when American soldiers were based in the town, one particular US officer darkened the door of the Diamond with a challenge.

This infantry captain sat at the bar and claimed that Irish whiskey was nothing compared his home-brewed ‘moonshine’.

The officer bet the publicans that he could finish a bottle of whiskey behind the counter and leave the bar on his two feet.

Customers placed their bets and watched as the Captain drank his way through the Irish brew, and, sure enough, the officer finished the bottle.

The American stood up, made his way out of the door, and collapsed when he hit the fresh air!

Returning several days later, he asked if he had won the bet, with Jack handing over the winnings.

The bar expanded during the 1940s, incorporating 19, 21, and 23 George’s Street into the growing premises.

Jack, who was still paying off the loan from purchasing The Diamond, requested more money from a Bank of Ireland manager to fund the expansion. The manager agreed, providing that Jack stayed solely with the bank, a loyalty that has persisted to this present day.

drinking habits

Gerry, who began working under his father’s wing after leaving school in 1961, reflected on the social attitudes and drinking habits of the era.

“Over my 50 years of working in The Diamond, the whole pattern of drinking changed,” he said.

“Back in the 1950s, bars were only allowed to open strictly from 10am to 10pm, and you certainly wouldn’t open on a Sunday.

“You would have never seen a woman in the bar during that time either… It wasn’t until around the mid-1960s until women started drinking alongside the men in bars,” he added.

Gerry also spoke about how The Diamond Bar was one of the first, and one of the last bars, in the town, to bottle and label their own alcohol.

“Jack was one of the first bar men in Omagh to bottle his own drinks.

“Back then, you were given two sets of stout barrels – one ‘high’ (the foamy head) and one ‘low’ (the black body of stout) and they were manually poured from each.

“We even bottled our own Power’s whiskey,” added Gerry, “We labelled them with white stickers as the gold stickers were only used from bottles that came straight from the Powers company.”

However, the practice of bottling the bar’s own drinks came to an abrupt end when a bomb decimated the premises in 1972.

In December of that year, a device was placed in a toilet to the rear of The Diamond Bar, causing considerable damage to the premises and adjacent properties.

Less that two years later, the bar was the scene of a fatal shooting when Catholic RUC man, Detective Inspector Peter Flanagan, was gunned down inside. The IRA hitman, Sean O’Callaghan, later became an informer, recalling the incident in his book. He also detailed how he betrayed arms shipments, foiled robberies and identified IRA weapons hides.

However, during this turbulent period, Gerry recalled that the loyalty of their customers ‘shone through’, with patrons even queuing from 7am in the days following the 1972 bomb attack to support their beloved bar.

But, by 2007, when the smoking ban came into force, Gerry decided to retire, leaving the bar in the hands of his son, Colm.

Under Colm’s stewardship, live music and quiz nights were introduced, and the bar was renamed to Broderick’s Bar, reflecting what it had colloquially been known as throughout the years. Part of the reason for the change in signage was the cost of running the original neon lights, according to Colm.

Commenting on the changes during his tenure, Colm noted the variety of alcohol available today, compared to the past.

“This bar started with just stout, whiskey, and gin. Now, we have a large variety of alcohol to suit everyone. Today, you even have non-alcoholic versions of everything – beer, gin, ciders. It’s just amazing thinking of the times when people were content with straight stout and whiskey.”

The introduction of non-alcoholic drinks has brought more people to the bar, Colm added.

“During the week, when we have our quizzes, people are happy enough to drink non-alcoholic drinks and drive home, still fresh for work the next day.”

After nearly a century in business, the Brodericks remain loyal to their customers, and look forward to many more years serving the people of Omagh.