The Ballinamallard River rushed under the bridge as works took place on the main thoroughfare when The Impartial Reporter came to the village.

While some might grumble that the works are causing disruption, others maintain they have been a long time coming.

For some parents, the works meant that nursery pick-up duties were a walking pick-up, but on a sunny May morning, with temperatures beginning to rise, there was nowhere better to have a stroll.

Out for a walk pushing a pram was Alicia Noble. Sitting very quietly in his pram was Oscar who, at six months old, was a man of few words when interviewed by this reporter.

However, he took a great interest in the dictaphone during his very first media interview.

Alicia said: “It is a nice, quiet village. I love living here; I have been living here a few months - my partner is from Ballinamallard.

“We go for a walk every day; we walk to Nanny’s. I have heard there is a wee baby group, but I haven’t got there yet.

“A coffee shop would be nice. Then we could go for a walk and a coffee.”

She, like others, is looking forward to the launch of the Ballinamallard Community Hub.

The old Ballinamallard Angling and Sports Club in the centre of the village will be transformed into a community hub for the benefit of the entire community.

Reflecting on the hub, Rev. John Beacom, Circuit Superintendent, Ballinamallard and Trillick Methodist Churches, said: “It has taken a long time in the making.

"We are making progress; the contractor has been appointed and Phase One is beginning soon.

“This is a mission initiative of Ballinamallard Methodist Church, but the hub is a standalone charity for the good of the community. It will provide for the needs of the people."

He added: “Phase One consists of a coffee shop, co-working spaces and room for meeting spaces.

“This initiative and vision goes back to 2016. This is a huge undertaking for the community; it is going to be really transformational.”

Over at Robert Graham Family butchers, Robert was busy serving customers. He has been recently named the Overall Supreme Champion Sausage Makers for 2024, and his sausages are proving popular.

He said social media has played a big part in the promoting of his business.

“We do weekend specials and stuff and get a lot of messages into the Facebook page for orders. But we still have a generation who will lift the phone and ring in.

“I think people have a tendency from when they are in bed at night and scroll on the phone [to react to social media].

"I see orders [made] at half one, two o'clock in the morning on Facebook.”

He looked out the shopfront at the works happening further down the street, which have momentarily lessened footfall.

He said: “The road has been a bad case this long time, so they are finally doing a bit of tarring now. It was probably put off for too long.

“It would be good when the hub comes back - it will tidy up that end of the street. Again, it is a big community thing.”

When asked the best thing about the village, he said: “The people, in fairness.

"Any village or any town will say their people are the best, but Ballinamallard is the best.

"I think, more so, it's the community aspect of it. Ballinamallard is probably quite a tight-knit community, and I suppose with sport, the football club brings a lot of people together too."

At the heart of the village is Ballinamallard United Football Club. Playing in the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, it has helped cement the village's place on the map for many.

The Ducks have a storied history from their reformation in 1975, with many great days in its history having been documented in the pages of this very newspaper.

One villager looked back fondly and said: “They have gave us great days out.”

One of those great days out was just over five years ago in May, 2019, when the side played the Irish Cup Final in 2019.

Villagers fondly reminisced on how the village turned blue and white, with smiles on their faces, hoping for more great days out, especially with such a promising youth section.

Teddy Elliott was on his way home from his neighbours when this newspaper had a chat with him.

He had just delivered some rhubarb from his expansive garden, in which he had been working all morning.

Teddy has lived his whole life in the village, and as the sun beamed down, he remembered with a twinkle in his eye his youth in the village.

He can remember boyhood times with the football club, with which he has a proud association, but he also has a keen memory for other old times.

“Going back as far as I go back, we used to have two sawmills in the village, and at a stage the river was feeding the mills to power the saws. Then someone changed the route of the river.

“Some time after that, Fisher Engineering arrived in the village, through Tommy Fisher, and I can remember to this very day, the day he dug the first sod for his foundation, which is now Bert Johnston’s Upholstery, and it went from strength to strength, and everyone knows the end result.

“Now we are sitting on something major in the village. I think there may have been three public houses in it.

“We had the Brooklands going well at a time. I can remember the bridge building over the main river; it used to be a humpback bridge."

He continued: “In the winter time, it was a great village for sledging on the roads - the Craghan road leading up to the graveyard, you could sleigh down as far as the playpark.

"There was never any traffic on the road; there was the station brae, as we called it, and 30 or 40 young ones could be on it, and you could nearly meet the ones coming from the Craghan road.

"As soon as dark fell, you went away sleighing.

“I worked in the railway in the good office; I was there until the railways closed in 1957. That, in front of us, is what would have been the rail track going to Bundoran or Omagh.

"It was mighty; trains would have went down with 60 wagons on them.”

Back on the main street, it was time for a break for many workers in the village as they descended upon Roulston’s Centra, ready to enjoy fare from the hot food counter.

Karl Irvine was welcomed into the shop by the staff, whom he greeted by name.

He had a very simple answer for what is the best thing about the area: “The Centra shop - the staff in the Centra shop are second to none.

"Ursula fills the best breakfast baps. Ursula’s baps are legendary.”

He said the area has a good community spirit, but he would like to see the once legendary Brooklands Hotel redeveloped.

“It is a mess; something needs to be done with it. It needs to be done up, maybe make it into a home or a Fold [housing].”

Working in the shop was Shona Coalter, who praised owner Stuart Roulston, who operates both the location in Ballinamallard and a shop over in Trory.

She added: “I think the community is there for you when you want them, the people are genuine.”