This isn’t a formal history book – not in the academic sense. There are no footnotes, no time lines, no bibliography and no citations. What you’ll read is something more personal. A series of stories that began life as newspaper reports in the Tyrone Courier and Dungannon Observer, that were then rescued thanks to microfilmed editions and rewritten and given space to breathe again in book form.
They’re the kind of stories that will never make any serious history book: a concert in a local hall, a church bazaar, a sports day, a farewell service, or a tragedy that shook the village to its core. Back then the local correspondent gave the bones of the story, but did not flesh out the picture. I’ve tried to add depth, bring colour and give personality to what time has faded.
In some cases, I’ve told the story through another set of eyes. A participant, a bystander, or a local character leaning against the wall and watching it unfold. These voices may be imagined, but the root of each story is retained.
This book is my way of honouring men and women who ran shops, organised sales, farmed, raised families and grieved loved ones. Their lives mattered. Remembering them is an act of respect – a shake of the hand or a hug to say you mattered and we have not forgotten.
So sit down and read the stories of times long gone and appreciate the life these people left behind. Not out of nostalgia, but because they helped build the place we call home.
David Acheson
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