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OmaghPaintings by William M Park |
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OmaghPaintings and Stories from the Seat of the ChiefsHardback, 96pp
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The countryside surrounding Omagh has been inhabited for over 4000 years, the earliest Neolithic farmstead yet discovered in the British Isles is at Ballynagilly and has been dated to about 3700 BC. Legend tells us that this was also the home and playground of giants such as Finn Mac Cool and Ermand Kelstach and Muckabaw who fought for the hand of Finn’s daughter Granua. They held a shoulder-stone throwing contest with stones the size and weight of a young mountain. One struck the top of Bessie Bell, where the mark is still seen to the present day. The people of Tyrone have long made their mark on history both at home and abroad. Sixmilecross was the ancestral home of John Dunlap who printed the United States Declaration of Independence. The county has provided no less than three presidents of the United States (Woodrow Wilson, Ulysses Simpson Grant and James Buchanan) while Davy Crockett of Alamo fame had his roots in Castlederg.Thomas Mellon left Camphill, Mountjoy with his parents to emigrate to America. He founded the Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh and it was one of his descendants, Dr Matthew Mellon, who helped establish the Ulster-American Folk Park on the outskirts of Omagh town. No book on Omagh can ignore its recent tragic history and Dr Mitchell pays a moving tribute to the cour-age and resilience of the people of his beloved town. Throughout the book his affection and love for his fellow compatriots, both past and present, shines through. The outstanding natural beauty of the countryside is vividly captured in the magnificent paintings which accompany the text. The author Dr C. J. H. Mitchell MB MICGP is a local man born and bred. He took over his father’s medical practice in the town in the early 1960s and since his retirement in 1996 he has been able to develop his passion for local history. He has a wealth of historical knowledge of the area gleaned from his own research and his family’s contacts with such a wide range of local people. Many of the stories he has heard are in this is his eighth book. The artist William M. Park arrived in Newtownstewart from his native Scotland over 20 years ago. A member of the Watercolour Society of Ireland, he has exhibited with the Royal Hibernian Academy and the Royal Ulster Academy. His eye for detail and dramatic use of light brings each scene to life. ** Free P&P ** £16.95
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