Father and son shared strong bond and a love of snooker

BRENDAN McSorley (82) and his son Adrian (51), who passed away just 13 weeks apart, shared a close bond and social life, often connecting over their love of snooker and pool.

Brendan, who passed away on July 7, had a deep interest in technology and worked for many years at Radio Rentals in Omagh.

Adrian, who passed on October 10, is remembered for his friendly, caring nature and his dedication to mental health nursing. Brendan was born in Rosslea, Co Fermanagh, spent his early childhood in Tempo, and later moved to Omagh, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Early on, he worked in the family business, which included a taxi firm, confectionery shop, and café.

“The family ran a taxi firm alongside a confectionery shop and cafe in Omagh,” explained Brendan’s son Nial. “But dad’s real love was technology.”

Brendan eventually took a role at Radio Rentals, where he could pursue his passion. He became well known for installing and repairing electronic goods across Omagh and surrounding areas right up until his retirement.

Described as ‘ahead of his time,’ Brendan was always ready with a camera, capturing thousands of hours of footage over the past 50 years.

“He filmed plenty of community events and football matches in his time,” Nial said. “He was a big supporter of Tyrone and St Enda’s and would always film their matches.”

Brendan’s dedication to documenting local life even led him to digitise his footage in later years to preserve it for more contemporary formats. In the 1960s, Brendan met his wife Mary-Ellen, who was studying nursing.

“He met mum when he was working in the family shop,” said Nial. “She was studying at Omagh Tech before going into nursing, but it wasn’t long until they were married and had me and my three brothers.” Together, Brendan and Mary-Ellen had four sons: Damian, Liam, Nial, and Adrian.

‘Black sheep’

Reflecting on his brother, who passed away just weeks after his father, Nial recalled Adrian as the ‘black sheep’ of the family.

“We all liked football, but he didn’t,” Nial laughed.

Born in Antrim when his mum was working there as a nurse, Adrian later attended St Colmcille’s Primary School and Omagh Academy. He pursued Business at John Moores University in Liverpool before returning home to work at Railway Court Care Home. This experience inspired him to pursue mental health nursing. He went on to study at Magee College in Derry and spent 15-20 years working with adolescents in mental health care in Belfast.

Though Adrian never married or had children, he shared his father’s love of snooker and pool and enjoyed an active social life.

“He was a good guy who was friendly with a lot of people in the Omagh area,” said Nial.

“He was a talker. Having worked in the sort of role he did in nursing, he was always great at meeting people, holding conversations, and having the craic with everyone and anyone. He never would have passed by anyone without stopping for a chat.”

Following the passing of both Brendan and Adrian, their family extended their thanks to both the Macmillan Nurses, as well as the staff of the Palliative Care Unit in Omagh and the South West Acute Hospital for their wonderful care.