Residents of well-known Omagh estate prepare for 60th anniversary

OVER  the past six decades, O’Kane Park has been home to countless memories, milestones and moments of both joy and sorrow.

Built in 1965 on the site of an old railway line, this once-new housing development on the outskirts of Omagh quickly grew into a thriving, close-knit community.

Now, 60 years on, residents are preparing to celebrate the anniversary of a place that has shaped their lives in remarkable ways.

In 1965, the new development was a fresh start for large families crammed in the town centre. A total of 79 houses were built on the lines of an old railway; houses which would soon fit 520 people.

together

One of these first inhabitants was four-year-old Mark McGrath, who enjoyed his childhood while the park grew together.

“I moved in as barely a toddler in October of 1965 and growing up there was good – O’Kane Park was the countryside, coming from Hunter’s Crescent.

“There were eight siblings, including me, plus my mother and father, who were crammed into a two-bedroom house before moving to a four-bedroom house in O’Kane Park.

“A lot of the people that first moved in to the park would have been from the likes of Brook Street, Fountain Lane, Castle Street and they would have been sharing houses with other families,” Mark said.

“We formed the first tenant association in Omagh back in the early ‘70s, which brought about a community centre, bus runs, swings and eventually draws and jumble sales.

“The committee itself ran different events, discos, dances, junior shows in the community centre – where we spent most of our summers!

“Then, at the same time, motorbikes became the big craze. Men in their 20s and 30s were all for motorbikes and we would go out on the street to see them.”

He added, “Many of us went to St Pat’s, but you could tell who passed their transfer test by those who suddenly appeared with bicycles – a reward for getting into the Christian Brothers!”

tragedies

Whilst O’Kane Park was filled with happy memories, it wasn’t without their own tragedies as, in the span of just a few years, two brothers would suffer terrible fates.

In 1971, nine-year-old Eddie Slattery was playing on a tree when he fell onto a transformer and was electrocuted. Two years later, his brother Gerard disappeared after leaving his home to attend Mass and his body wasn’t formally identified until 39 years after.

Today, though the population has reduced to a fifth of what it was, the residents remain as close as ever.

“There wouldn’t be the same amount of children now compared to when I was growing up,” said Mark, “People now are having smaller families.

“But there’s never any bother now, people are still as close as ever and would rally together if there was any kind of bother at all – you would never be left stuck!”