The BBC reports on strange goings on in Omagh. From the report:
People in Omagh say they are fed up with the persistent humming, which is disrupting their sleep.
The night-time noise has been reported in a wide area of the County Tyrone town in recent weeks.
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s attempts to trace it have so far not been successful.
Now, noise experts could be called in by a Northern Ireland council as it struggles to find the source of a mystery hum.
Alliance Party councillor Stephen Donnelly said it was a serious problem for some residents.
He was initially contacted by people in the Tamlaght Road area of Omagh in late October, but in the weeks since reports of the mystery noise have spread to other parts of the town.
Mr Donnelly said people “usually characterise it as a persistent buzz or hum” that was distinct from more common noise such as traffic.
Many people, he said, had reported problems sleeping because of the noise pollution.
It was imperative that the council did its utmost to trace its source, he said.
“It may well be that it’s seasonal or weather-related but these things often don’t turn out to be simple and it may be a multitude of source,” said Mr Donnelly.
A council spokeswoman said the investigation had been challenging.
“Due to the wide area where the sound has been reported it is difficult to pinpoint the exact source(s),” she said.
“Officers are currently investigating the use of specialist equipment, or procurement of a specialist company, to assist in detecting the source of the noise.”
A phenomenon known widely as “the Hum” has been reported across the globe over the past five decades, including in the UK, North America and Australia.
There is a range of theories as to where such noises come from, including farm or factory machinery, while some subscribe to conspiracy theories such as flying saucers.
Do you live in Omagh? Have you experienced the mystery hum?
Any idea what it could be? I am no expect on sound, but you would have thought you could get some kind of directional microphone that tells you what direction a sound is coming from.
Maybe large swathes of the population of Tyrone have taken up meditation and the collective sound of all these oms is filtering out into the night sky. Or maybe the veil between our world and the underworld is particularly loose around Omagh and this is some kind of harbinger of doom of future events to come. If anyone sees any demons trying to order a pint in Sally’s bar do let the authorities know.
Hopefully, the mystery is solved soon and the good people of Omagh can rest easy in their beds again.
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
