My father, who died five years ago, was originally from County Tyrone. He was born in 1924 on a small farm in the townland of Tullyvannon between Ballygawley and Dungannon.

He left there in his teens to join the Navy and served on ships in the Far East during World War Two and on his return settled in Fermanagh where he got a job, and met and married my mother.

He was, I suppose, and adopted Fermanagh man having lived in this county for the best part of 75 years.

Even in his 90th year, though, he still referred to Tullyvannon as “home” when he’d go to visit his brother.

Indeed, at his request, when he passed away he was buried at the family church near Ballygawley, going home in more sense than one; as a Christian his mortal remains were home in Ballygawley but his real home was in heaven.

In this life, roots are important and we never forget where we came from. It’s not just a house, home is where the heart is. It’s where our people are, where our memories are and where our community strength lies.

It’s why people from here who move away and make a life and career elsewhere still fondly consider themselves Fermanagh folk.

Enniskillen is my home town, and in the words of the song it’s “the town I love so well.”

It’s a town that has changed over the years of my lifetime, and is changing still.

Enniskillen is in a beautiful location and remains a thriving town; but it is facing many challenges. Indeed, the same could be said of all our towns and villages. Irvinestown, whose community spirit I’ve always admired, Lisnaskea and Fivemiletown are all fine towns and there are many throughout our area.

The question I’d ask is, what is a town? It has to be more than just the shops, surely?

I was prompted to write about my home town this week after a conversation in a little café when having a bowl of soup. I struck up a conversation with two women at the next table and it turned out we were all born in Enniskillen, though none of us true “townies” born “between the bridges.”

They were near enough! Born in Belmore Street, one remembered being given half a crown to buy a pair of white socks for her First Communion in a shop in East Bridge Street, which cost one shilling and 11pence.

If you can remember the name of the shop, before it became Florence’s and now the derelict Celini, give yourself a reward!

Having been born in Riverside, Cornagrade, my memories were of going to the old Derby café in Church Street, walking up Quay Lane where the “Dardenelles” were, or the streets and streets of houses on land opposite the Cathedral Hall now occupied by the library, car parks et al.

It is, of course, an old bugbear of mine that the planners of the 1970s destroyed the nature of the area by demolishing the deteriorating houses and moving people off the island.

I’ve written about this before, so let’s not go there again. As Phil Coulter’s “Town I love so well” says “What’s lost is lost and gone forever.”

But we can learn from the mistakes of the past, and some vision is needed and I’m not sure we’re getting it from the powers that be.

Take a walk through Enniskillen some day and take a good look around if you were brought up there. Indeed, take a walk through your own town and consider the changes, and consider how you might support your town so that it might thrive for future generations.

Enniskillen is a town rich in history, which people like Frankie Roofe and Catherine Scott keep alive in telling stories about the origins of streets, old characters and families long gone. What other town has a street with a name like Peg o the bull lane?

Mary Gordon McBride’s books about townspeople are superb too.

The Old Enniskillen Facebook page also provides a marvellous service with photos of the town and its people from years ago. I’d forgotten the relatively recent change around the mini-roundabout at Lochside garage and the area between the now Belmore Court and Tesco.

And the petrol pumps at Gaol Square (the front of SW College). When I played youth football, we used to meet at the Gaol Square, where the cars parked, and of course I remember playing football at McLaughlin’s field where Tesco now stands.

I expect, if you want to give away your age, you could reminisce all day about the small grocery stores like O’Reilly’s in Townhall Street or Stewart’s on Henry Street, or the big shop at Wellworths (now Houston’s).

Do you know where the She Barracks is?

Enough!

Enniskillen’s winding, distinctive streetscape remains the same, however, with a number of historic landmarks including the beautiful churches and the Townhall and it’s distinctive pepperpot tower. And the Castle with its wonderful new facilities is also a must for visitors and locals alike.

It’s probably fashionable for people not to recognise the positives of their home town, but I think if you walk through Enniskillen with an open mind you’ll see that you can get most things you want. Good retail shops, plenty of services and certainly plenty of places for a coffee and a good chat with friends.

It’s no coincidence that the town has traffic and car parking congestion on Saturday afternoons.

I say fair play to all the business people who invest in the town and provide Enniskillen with something different. Often, they’re hammered by exhorbitant rates.

I’m not being hypocritical here; of course, I occasionally buy online and sometimes go to out of town shops. But I also support Enniskillen. Use it or lose it.

Overall, business people, whether shops, restaurants, offices, opticians or whatever, deserve a greater support from the authorities and from me and you.

I don’t support the idea of a new development at the Unipork site. I don’t see anything there that isn’t already available. Although it’s not like for like, I recall once visiting Junction One at Antrim. I drove in, parked and never went near the town centre, and found what was on offer very disappointing.

Enniskillen town centre is in a bit of a state at the moment, with some of the pavements a patchwork and digging work going on. That’s temporary and there’s more to come with a lot of new work coming up which, hopefully, will leave Enniskillen looking great.

I must also say that there are some very serious issues facing the town. There are far too many vacant shops, and others looking rather shabby.

Coming into Enniskillen from the Killyhevlin side, the old familiar landmark of TP Toppings is now empty, though I see from the sign that it is sold. I wonder what the plans are for it.

And, of course, the SW College will soon be vacated. By the way, the wonderful, modern structure that is rising for the new College at the old Erne Hospital site is a real positive for the future.

Someone suggested to me that there are areas, such as Belmore Street, which could be turned into housing to bring life back to the island. And perhaps some radical thinking is needed throughout the town.

A few years ago, I was involved in an attempt to start up a Civic Trust for Enniskillen, a body which would involve local people in bringing forward ideas and funding to revitalise the town’s buildings, including some of the beautiful old housing. For one reason or another, it fizzled out, but I’d love to see to idea resurrected by people with energy and a commitment to their town’s future and past.

Much has been done, there’s no doubt about that.

But much more needs to be done, bearing in mind my original question “what is a town?”

It’s not just the idea of the “high street”. It’s about shops, buildings, a hub of activity where people meet to socialise, it’s about community.

Enniskillen as a town is facing a pivotal and challenging moment.

I hope, again in the words of Phil Coulter’s song for a “bright, brand new day” in which future generations can, like me, take pride in their home town.