Omagh mart still a thriving tradition

For residents in rural areas especially, the gathering of farmers to showcase and sell livestock, has become a long-standing generational tradition, highlighting the significance of the agricultural sector in our society.

The modern establishment of the Tyrone Farming Society’s premises on Gillygooley Road contrasts sharply with the humble village-style fair days once held in Omagh’s Gallows Hill.

As recently as the 1940s and ‘50s, cattle would have been paraded down Sally’s Hill and placed into pens at the bottom of Gallows Hill, where the car park is today, with the show ring located at the top of the grassy banks.

In a less-extensive version of today’s variety market, merchants would sell coats to farmers braving the rain, with young boys often borrowing their coats belonging to their fathers to ‘look the part’.

This practice of cow trading on special days led to colloquial names for Gallows Hill, such as the ‘Cow Commons’ or ‘Fair Hill’.

During the late 1950s, cattle trading moved to the newly-established site in the town centre, aptly named ‘the showgrounds’, to accommodate larger show rings for the growing population.

The showgrounds, owned by the Tyrone Farming Society, had operated for around 40 years by this time, hosting agricultural shows and horse-jumping events before opening the mart. It was at this new site that RB Holmes first began their auctioneering services.

As the bustle of the farming community grew into the late 1960s, so did the partnerships involved in running the community-focused mart. After a stint at the showgrounds, a new mart was established on the grounds of the Market Yard, which today is occupied by the Dunnes Stores premises on Dublin Road.

However, the plan for the new livestock yard almost didn’t go ahead due to surprising opposition from farming unions.

In November 1960, a statement by a farmers’ union and ratepayers deemed the proposal ‘foolish’, citing potential traffic congestion and a burden on rates. Despite this, the plans proceeded, and during this period, the mart was legally registered as Omagh Auction Mart Ltd in 1977. The new mart was established by Robinson & O’Kane Livestock Auctioneers, in partnership with the late Arthur Robinson from Ballymena and the late Eddie O’Kane from Drumquin.

By 1995, the Tyrone Farming Society, along with the council, Ulster Farmers’ Union, and Fane Valley Stores, constructed a state-of-the-art facility designed to unite the rural community of Omagh and Tyrone on the Gillygooley Road, just outside the town.

This impressive complex featured multiple indoor show rings and a large pen area for holding hundreds of cattle awaiting bidding parades.

It also allowed for large agricultural shows, such as the annual Omagh Show, and weekly variety markets alongside the mart.

Today, the mart remains fundamentally unchanged since its humble commercial beginnings in Gallows Hill. Farmers from all over Tyrone and beyond continue to gather each week, participating in the immersive excitement of this community event, following in the footsteps of their forefathers.