The Story of O’Kane Park
How It All Began
At the heart of O’Kane Park lies more than just roads and homes — it’s a living community, rooted in decades of history. Families who first moved in still live here today. The local community centre serves as a hub of daily life — a meeting hall, a playground, and a living archive of shared memories.
From Railways to Residences
The story of O’Kane Park begins with the end of another journey — the final train to Bundoran departed from Omagh on September 15, 1957, marking the closure of the Great Northern Railway line. This closure freed up valuable land along the Dromore Road — land that would eventually become home to one of Omagh’s most significant housing developments.
By the early 1960s, Omagh was facing a housing crisis. The population was growing, and the shortage of adequate homes was critical. In 1961, the Urban Council proposed that the disused railway land could help solve this problem. However, the landowner initially refused to sell. After lengthy negotiations and public discussions, the Council moved to acquire the land through a vesting order, declaring it the only suitable site for urgently needed housing.
A Community Born from Necessity
Development was slow. By 1964, government policies and private interests had stalled the project. Frustrated residents voiced their living conditions through letters and petitions — some even wrote directly to the Queen. Reports from local doctors painted a stark picture: families crammed into one-room flats, homes plagued with damp, poor sanitation, and illness.
The message was clear — Omagh didn’t need more shops. It needed homes.
Eventually, the Council approved the construction of 79 new houses. But another question remained: Who would get to live there? After a five-month review, the Council prioritised families from the worst affected areas like Fountain Street and Brook Street. The goal was to complete 30 houses by year’s end.
The Opening of O’Kane Park
In July 1966, O’Kane Park was officially opened, named in honour of Michael O’Kane, a former member of the Urban Council. The estate consisted of 73 three- and four-bedroom houses and six bungalows for elderly residents.
At the time, it sat on the town’s edge. Today, as Omagh has grown, O’Kane Park is nestled closer to its centre — still a thriving, close-knit neighbourhood.
Generations have grown up here. The community centre remains a gathering point, and the memories of those first years — the summer festivals, football on the green, childhood adventures — continue to define the spirit of the Park.
A Day to Remember: July 17, 1965
While the world was listening to the Rolling Stones and Elvis, and headlines told of satellites in orbit and struggles for civil rights, the people of Omagh were focused on a single local headline:
“Seventy-nine for Dromore Road Houses – List Approved at Council Meeting”
For 79 families, this was life-changing news. Many were living in overcrowded, damp, and inadequate housing. Being allocated a new house in O’Kane Park — with electricity, bathrooms, gardens, and space — was nothing short of a dream come true.
The selection process was meticulous. A meeting of Nationalist Councillors for the West Ward lasted nearly four hours before the final list was approved.
A Lasting Legacy
Many of the original families still reside in O’Kane Park today, their children and grandchildren now calling it home too. What began as a solution to a housing emergency has become one of Omagh’s most enduring and beloved communities.
In July 2005, residents celebrated the 40th anniversary of the park — not just by remembering what once was, but by sharing their hopes for the future.
The Original Residents of O’Kane Park (1965)
Below is the full list of the first 79 families who moved into O’Kane Park in 1965 — a roll call of pioneers who helped shape this vibrant community.
1 Hugh McSwiggan, 20 Dromore Road
2 Maurice Devlin, Church Hill
3 Joseph Mulryan, 13 Georges street
4 Francis Gillease, 28 Centenary Park
5 John Johnston, 15 Abbey Street
6 Thomas J Donnelly, 10 Abbey Street
7 Michael Mullan, 11 Dromore Road
8 Robert G McGonigle, 11 High Street
9 John J Mulryan, Bridge Cottage, Mullaghmore
10 Michael McManus, 47 Centenary Park
11 Samuel Keyes, Spillars Place
12 James Deveney, c/o Smiths, 5 Abbey Place
13 John J McLaughlin, 45 Centenary Park
14 John J Higgins, 50 Centenary Park
15 Gerard McGonigle, St Julian’s Cottages
16 Patrick McGale, Coolnagard
17 Thomas Duffy, 1 Tamlaght Road
18 P Muldoon, 45 Tamlaght Road
19 Brendan Drumm, 18 Castle Place
20 Malcolm Spracklen, 15 Castle Street
21 Sean Laird, Ashgrove Park Derry Road
22 Geo Hannigan, 4 WestView Terrace
23 Francis Bradley, 7 Abbey Street
24 PJ Chester, 10 Fairmount Cottages
25 John Livingstone, 3 Railway Terrace
26 John McCusker, Sedan Avenue
27 Francis Aiken, 37 Castle Street
28 John Breslin, 8 Georges Street
29 James Cuthbertson, 59 Cannondale
30 Patrick McNamee, 22 Castle Place
31 Vincent McCourt, 55 Dromore Road
32 Jas McLaughlin, 1 Sunningdale
33 Aidan O’Neill, 11 High Street
34 Thomas Logue, 11 Bridge Street
35 Thomas J McBride, Kevlin Alley
36 R G McBride, 1 Gortrush Drive
37 M Douglas, West View Terrace
38 George Jeffries, Fairmount Avenue
39 John Colton, 1 Hillview Terrace
40 Brendan Mills, Mountjoy East
41 John Kelly, 37 Tamlaght Road
42 Derek Walthall, Drumragh
43 P.Moynihan, 84 Dergmoney Cottages
44 Christopher Mc Guigan, 11 Fairmount Cottages
45 John Mellon, 36 Derry Road
46 Patrick Chesters, 3 Glenview Cottages
47 Jas O’Kane, 44 Cannondale
48 Joseph Hill, 51 Convent View
49 Brian Connolly, 21 Campise Road
50 Edmund Fisher, Cranny
51 Desmond Devlin, 15 Fairmount Avenue
52 William J Taylor, 4 Abbey Place
53 Laurence Rush, 5 Abbey Hall, Castle Place
54 Brendan McCrory, The Brook
55 Laurence McCrumlish, Dromore
56 John J Convery, Botera Lower
57 William Friel, 6 Fountain Lane
58 James Mc Cullagh, 5 Castle Lane
59 John Dennison, 8 Fountain Lane
60 Joseph Devlin, 11 Brook Street
61 Felix Sheridan, Brook Street
62 Gerard Slattery, 40 Hunter Crescent
63 Thady Turbett, 5 St Patrick’s Street
64 Thomas Doherty, 21 Hunter Crescent
65 Wm.Mc Nabb, Brookemount
66 Patrick Daly, 7 Fountain Lane
67 Hannah B McSorley, 21 Castle Street
68 Cassie Sloan, 20 Castle Street
69 James Mc Cullagh, Brook Street
70 Catherine McManus, 27 Brook Street
71 Mary Judge, Sunningdale
72 Francis J Kelly, 56 Tamlaght Road
73 Charles McKenny, 7 Railway Tce
74 John J Maguire, 8 Tamlaght Road
75 Edward McCrory, 10 Killybrack Road
76 John Torney, 21 Gortrush Park
77 Jas McGaughey, Aughnacloy
78 Mark McGrath, Hunter Crescent
79James Doherty, Hunter Crescent
From Old to New
“Daily the councillors were hearing personal pleas from mothers and small children living in flats, and large families living in overcrowded conditions... Doctors could testify to the injury being done to the health of families living in terrible conditions.”
— Ulster Herald, January 1964
A Town Under Pressure
In the early 1960s, Omagh faced a severe housing crisis. Nearly 300 people were on the waiting list for a home, and many lived in damp, overcrowded, and unsafe conditions. The streets of Omagh looked very different from today — narrow lanes, tightly packed homes, and basic facilities were all many families had known.
The modern housing estates and civic centres that now define the town were then just distant dreams.
In 1965, the Council launched an ambitious plan to build new homes, aiming to replace nearly 170 properties marked for clearance — many of which were in streets like Fountain Lane, Old Market Place, Spillar Place, and Brook Street. A significant number of those first homes were allocated in the new estate on Dromore Road, soon to be named O’Kane Park.
Voices from the Past
Some of the most powerful voices calling for action came not from politicians, but from the residents themselves. In a remarkable move, Mrs Mary Noble and Mrs R.T. Convey — both living in shocking conditions — wrote directly to Queen Elizabeth II.
Mrs Noble’s house had no toilet and was so damp she couldn’t find a dry place to put her bed. Her husband had been hospitalised due to the cold and damp. Mrs Convey, raising 14 children in a home without running water, described collecting washing water from a drain outside.
While their appeals made headlines, they weren’t alone. Every day, councillors heard desperate stories from families. Doctors reported on illnesses caused by poor housing. The call for decent homes grew louder.
Delays and Determination
Despite the urgency, the road to building O’Kane Park was not smooth. Progress stalled due to government delays, land ownership issues, and even commercial objections. Some saw the opportunity to build shops and private developments instead.
Public frustration boiled over. One councillor famously declared that a proposed private development should be taken “100 miles out into the Atlantic and dumped.” The people needed homes, not more shops.
But on March 21, 1964, a breakthrough came: Omagh Urban Council accepted a tender from local contractor Michael Kelly to build 79 houses on the Dromore Road. The transformation had begun.
From Slums to Solid Foundations
The old houses being cleared were far from adequate by modern standards. Residents lived in one-room flats, shared outside toilets, and patched broken plumbing themselves. Some homes still had clay floors and no electricity.
One resident recalled raising three children in a single room down the Derry Road, constantly battling blow-downs and soot from shared chimneys.
Another remembered Fountain Lane, where families lit gas lamps that blew out in the breeze and mothers gave birth at home, supported only by a visiting midwife. Overcrowding was common — one woman recalled sharing a two-bedroom house with 19 family members, her bed folding up into a table to save space.
Despite the hardship, there was a strong sense of community spirit. One former resident of Church Hill remembered how neighbours, regardless of religion, shared vegetables, firewood, and even turf. Life was hard, but it was also full of generosity and connection.
Building the Park
As construction began, local workers helped shape the future. Among them were Malachy Kelly, Thomas Knox, James McCullagh, Eamon McGale, and Frank Gillease — the latter of whom would eventually move into one of the homes he helped build.
They built on land that once held only rushes, water, and the old Bundoran railway line. A green field became a neighbourhood.
By March 1966, the final stages of construction were in progress. While some councillors debated design differences — like whether houses should have combined living and dining rooms — the priority remained clear: deliver homes quickly to those in desperate need.
A New Community Emerges
In July 1966, O’Kane Park was officially opened by Council Chairman Mr Norman Wilson and contractor Mr Michael Kelly, who handed the final house key to Mrs Michael Herron, a resident of one of the six new bungalows for older people.
The Ulster Herald described the estate as:
“One of the prettiest and best laid out of public authority housing developments... All houses have front and rear gardens with fuel and tool stores, and an open grassed play area has been included in the centre of the site.”
With eight four-bedroom homes, 44 three-bedroom houses, and six bungalows, the estate was thoughtfully designed for community living. It stood as a symbol of what public housing could — and should — be: a chance at a better life.
Legacy and Memory
Some of the very first babies born in O’Kane Park still live there today. Others carry its memory with them as a place where they finally found space, warmth, and dignity. What began as a response to crisis became a tightly woven community.
O’Kane Park was never just a housing scheme. It was the result of persistence, protest, compassion — and above all, people.