Hum mystery solved by big money gas deal

THE mystery of the Omagh Hum could soon be solved by an international energy corporation, who say the strange sound is ‘almost certainly’ a sign of underground natural gas reserves.

GridGlow, a subsidiary company of Shell Global, has struck a deal with a local landowner to begin prospecting on his property, which sits on the outskirts of the county town, later this year.

Speaking with the TyroneHerald yesterday (Sunday), the 74-year-old Clanabogan farmer, who has asked not to be named, explained that the agreement will grant the multi-billion dollar company 12 months’ access to four acres of land, plus an easement, permitting their vehicles to use a shared lane adjoining several dwellings to the nearby A32, Dromore Road.

“The world has only woke up to that noise in the last few months, but we have been hearing it for years,” the man said. “I know everybody knows it as ‘the hum’ now, but we always called it ‘the rattling’. For the last year, it has been shaking pictures off the mantelpiece and making the dog go all dizzy.”

When asked by this newspaper to disclose the fee that has been agreed for the subterranean search rights, neither party were forthcoming with a precise figure. However, the local pensioner did allude to a few plans he hopes the lucrative lump-sum deal might help him finance.

“The rattling has caused this house a lot of strife over the years, but GridGlow have made all that misery worth it,” he said. “With the money we have already got from the deal, my wife and I will able to live in comfort for the rest of our days. If they actually find gas down there, though, that’ll be a whole other story. Let me tell you, it’ll not be comfort we’ll be living in, it’ll be luxury. I am talking about the jet-setting, Rolex-wearing, limousine-driving, champagne-drinking high life. Me and the woman will be giving the fast lane a go, if you know what I mean.”

When asked to comment on the deal, GridGlow CEO, Amadán Amtheman, said the following, “After months of tough negotiations, we are pleased to have finally settled on a contract that everybody is satisfied with.

“Never before, in the company’s 30 years of business, has a prospective partner proposed ‘we step outside and sort a deal out like men’. However, despite his initially unorthodox negotiation style, we got over the line in the end.

“GridGlow now looks forward to working with our partner into the future, however long that lasts.”