IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Tummery Road, OMAGH, BT78 3JJ

At the base of the promontory below the ruined church is a spring, known locally as the "Eye Well", which is believed to have curative powers for eye ailments. It must be extensively used as I could see hundreds of clothes hung on branches of the trees. They would have been dipped into the healing waters. I gather that a prayer is said as the rag is left there. A descriptive stone is nearby Image] There used to be a holy well at Errigal, Ballygawley where people went to with similar complaints Image] And recently I noticed this holy tree at Navan Fort Image]

The site of this ruined church, located on a rocky promontory, has been modified over recent centuries but it is clear that the foundation date for the present church is post-plantation as it is shown on the Down survey map ca. 1655-60. A number of archaeological features were discovered lying on or just below the surface when it was excavated. The most obvious was a large grave slab. Also uncovered were six skeletons, three each in the nave and transept. The slab uncovered dates to the 1670s and may relate to the Mervyn family who lived in Trillick Castle a short distance from Dromore. It was probably built in the early 17th century. It consists of a rectangular nave 20m x 7.5m with a 7mz transept projecting from the middle of the south wall. A number of architectural details survive including several windows. The building is surrounded by a disused graveyard. At the base of the promontory below the church is a spring, known locally as the "Eye Well", which is believed to have curative powers.

Looking ESE

DROMORE 2000, the local regeneration group for the West Tyrone village, has recently installed an impressive art piece on a plot of surplus land beside the Irvinestown Road. The welded steel sculpture is the work of Harriet Mead, a well-known Norfolk artist, and it portrays a farm horse being led by a countryman. This fine piece of metalwork will be interpreted by the eye of the beholder, as is the case with any artistic production - the intention of the sponsoring group was to reflect the nature of the rural economy which sustained Dromore and its hinterland for so many years. A vital part of that rural economy was the forge and the statue stands close to the premises occupied by Dromore's last working blacksmith, the late Joe Crozier. Nothing now remains of the busy workshop where Joe shod horses and mended machinery for his farmer customers. He was the classic village blacksmith - strong, skilful, gentle and immensely popular with all age groups. Centuries of metalworking skill died when Joe bolted the wide forge doors for the last time.

The new statue will be a feature of the dramatic glen which provides a scenic entrance to Dromore from the south west. On the escarpment above stand the proud remains of a church. This building was already old when the Plantation of Ulster maps showed it here in 1609. Repaired and taken over for Anglican use in the 1690s, Dromore Church was used until its abandonment in 1846. It retains a certain nobility even in its ruined state and more than one gullible traveller has been misled by local wits into taking it to be the fabled 'Castle of Dromore' of the haunting ballad. (The castle of that song is actually in County Cork.)

To the right of the glen flows a trickle of water - this is known as the Eye Well and for centuries it has been claimed to have curative properties. There is a local legend that a sceptical farmer in the 19th century mocked the belief by bringing to the Eye Well a blind horse. The story goes that the horse was cured and his mocking owner went blind! And now it has been put about by some that the steel sculpture is commemorating the cynical visit to the Eye Well. That myth must be killed at birth!

Looking SSE from Esker Road

Heading ESE

The road is bending west in the direction of Enniskillen via Irvinestown

People leave old rags here and you would know by looking at them that they have been here for a while but I noticed a recent deposit here Image]