By 
AMBRE Burt is a woman of many talents, and indeed many creative hats… something of which she jokes ‘keeps her mostly sane!’
Not only is the Newtownstewart native a talented vocalist of a busy Omagh-based band, but she is also the co-founder of a poetry group which meet once a month in the Omagh Library to write beautiful works, and she runs the Gallows Hill Women’s Group which meet in Omagh fortnightly.
But the 53-year-old’s deep love for the arts and appreciation of culture, nature and books, began decades ago; more specifically when she was a little girl growing up on the ‘slopes of Bessy Bell’.
Her parents were Sylvia (née Wilkinson), an avid reader and singer, and Noel, a talented musician and storyteller, and she is the eldest of four siblings, two brothers and two sisters.
“Our house, my dad’s childhood home, sat overlooking the valley on an acre of land,” Ambre told the Chronicle with that trademark warmth and gentle friendliness to her voice. “We grew our own vegetables, had fruit trees, bushes and rhubarb planted by my grandmother.
“To be honest we lived a simple life; a life that I look back on with pride and love.
“We got water from the well and burned turf from the peat we cut, and logs from trees felled in the locality, and our house was just filled with music.
“Our mum sang and played guitar. Daddy also sang and played the harmonica and mouth harp,” she continued. “He told lots of stories, especially about Irish mythology and history but also about family.
“We used to go on trips on a Sunday and would sing all the songs we knew… probably driving our parents to distraction!”
Attending Newtownstewart Model Primary School, and later Castlederg High School where she cites teachers Miss Duncan of Newtown Model and Mr McKibben and Mrs Moore of Castlederg High, as great encouragers of her writing, Ambre completed her A-Levels in Omagh Tech before heading to Sunderland University where she studied Business Computing – something she says was ‘her father’s idea’!
Luckily though, her skills landed her with a good job in the Irish World – that is where she met Walter, the love of her life and the man she is still with today.
“We talked about how he used to play music and we’d discuss all the books we read,” Ambre mused.
But Walter also became the reason that she moved to Omagh – a place Ambre says has ‘been her home for 25 years’ – and he is also the reason that she found her voice… very literally!
“Walter encouraged me to sing,” Ambre stated modestly. “And all sorts of genres… He also encourages me to sing in public, and sing with music. Each of those were a hurdle for me!”
‘Rolling down like tumbleweeds’
Eventually the pair – with Walter on the guitar and Ambre singing – became a duo by the name of Tumbleweed.
“We picked the name as we were walking down to the town centre from Gallows Hill one day talking about rolling down like two tumbleweeds… and we both turned and said ‘that’s it!’” she laughed. “We regularly support a great mental health charity Together With Solace by playing at their ‘Céilí Nights’ in Coffee Time coffee shop on the first and third Thursdays from 6pm-8pm.
“And we also set up an additional ‘Jam Night’ for us, our musical friends and newcomers which now meets on the third Friday of the month (8-10pm) in Together With Solace’s ‘Social Café’ in Omagh Community House.
“We perform at different events, and when we can, gigs, local bars and care homes,” she continued. “We also plan on returning to busking as soon as the weather becomes fractionally more reliable!”
This Saturday afternoon, you can catch Tumbleweed performing at the Omagh Library as part of local musician Doyle Mill’s ‘A Musical Timeline’ concert featuring rock music through the ages from 1.30pm to 3pm.
It was Walter, too, who inspired Ambre to share her poetry – which she had been writing since primary school – with the world.
Eventually Ambre was convinced: She was going to venture out of her comfort zone even more and attend an open mic event. And it was there that she met Cookstown author Pheme Glass.
As well as a friendship being formed that night, so too did a new idea for Ambre – becoming a member of a local poetry collective, the Open Door Poetry Group.
“Pheme encouraged me to come to the group as she was a member of it,” Ambre recounted. “It took a few years… I’m a slow burner! But eventually I did join the group. And when she left it, I went too and we set up ‘Unite to Write’.”
Unite to Write meet once a month in the Omagh Library on the last Friday of the month – from 7pm to 9pm.
“In the group we have a core of four or five regulars, and new members are more than welcome to come along,” Ambre said. “The group explores a different poet each month, we discuss a set poem and we write from a prompt, as well as writing on the night. It is a full session, with plenty of varying opinions and ideas. We find that it’s very inspirational.”
Sprightly spring crafts
Ambre is also the proud host of the Gallows Hill Women’s Group, which meets every first and third Tuesday in the Omagh Library, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. The group, which have enjoyed cinema outings and day trips in the past, are focusing on sprightly spring crafts at the moment. And this Saturday morning, some of the members are gearing up to attend a free talk in the Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, which focuses on local literary heroes. Led by poet Cat Brogan and Michelle Dennehy, the ‘Celebrating Women and Heritage for International Women’s Day’ event will begin at 10.30am.
And why is your name spelled so uniquely, Ambre?
“My mum was an avid reader when she was younger,” Ambre smiled. “I am named after the title character of ‘Forever Amber’ by Kathleen Windsor. You may note the spelling, because in her wisdom, my mum spelled my name in French, including my middle name! It has led to lots of interesting conversations down the years.
“It was also the name they had already picked for the girl they unfortunately lost,” Ambre continued. “And so my name is an inheritance from her also. It’s something I have written about in a couple of my poems.”
And while Ambre has lived in Omagh for more than a quarter of a century now, her little ‘home on the hill’ by the Sperrins holds a very special place in her heart.
“Omagh has been home now for over 25 years and I love that,” Ambre said. “Although it is much bigger than ‘Home’, it still feels local and I’ve always loved it.
“I’ve always found people are friendly, genuine and welcoming here – and that was our rule of thumb at Home too: ‘Treat everyone as you would like to be treated’, and I still live by that.”
