70th anniversary of rail tragedy to be marked

A SPECIAL commemorative video has been prepared to mark the 70th anniversary of the rail tragedy which claimed the lives of five workers.

Tragedy struck the Omagh community in Omagh on November 24, 1950, when the five, who all lived locally, were killed. They are John Cassidy, John Cleary, Charles Flanagan, Dan McCrory and John McCrory, who died when they were struck by a train.

Mark McGrath, Omagh Heritage Forum said they were delighted to have worked in partnership with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council to deliver this project.

“We felt that it was important, given that the railways were such a huge part of our heritage in Omagh, that the 70^th anniversary of the tragedy which claimed the lives of five local rail workers, be marked in some way.

“We knew that given the restrictions on public gatherings currently in place as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, any kind of commemoration at the site of the memorial was not going to happen.

“However,  it is important that we mark the anniversary just as we marked the 50^th anniversary with the unveiling of the memorial stone, and the video will serve as a permanent reminder of the men who lost their lives so tragically in the Omagh Rail Tragedy.”  

 The video features personal testimonies from family members and fellow railway workers from the time of the tragedy. It also contains photos and written records with music from St Eugene’s Brass and Reed Band of which the late Dan McCrory was a member.