Yearly Archive 1st August 2013

Abingdon Collection goes from Strength to Strength - The Abingdon Collection

Abingdon Collection goes from Strength to Strength

This has been the best year yet for visitors to THE ABINGDON COLLECTION, with collectors, enthusiasts and tourists arriving almost every day.

The kind remarks now being made on TripAdvisor have encouraged visitors to come along and make a day of it, particularly if they are visiting the Ulster American Folk Park.

The collection is beginning to receive some very good national publicity and we have recently seen visitors coming from America, Australia, Canada and the Continent.

Irish visitors still make up the majority of our numbers and Cancer Research UK are really benefiting from the generous donations freely given.

So if you want a day out with a difference give us a call and get an experience which is unique and also has a free history lesson included.

Nick Murray – An Appreciation

Omagh lost one of it’s true characters last week with the untimely death of Nick Murray. Nick was originally from England but will always be remembered for his contribution to the life of Omagh.

When classic car enthusiasts talk of local legends then Nick was always mentioned and in his own way, he created a mini industry and reputation for classic car restoration in the West of the Province. He was a talented engineer but also an authority on old vehicles and used his knowledge to rebuild some of the best ‘nut and bolt restorations’ in the North.

With friends he would scour the Country in the 6O’s and 70’s buying abandoned old military vehicles and wrecks, bringing them home to Jail Square and then bringing them back to life. He will be best remembered in Omagh for driving around in old American Military vehicles including Jeeps and a very rare Dodge command car and he was ahead of his time in recognising the value of saving these historical vehicles.

For twenty years he drove the countryside in his beloved 1953 black MGTD and would never miss a local classic car show. With his late wife Kathy, he drove through the towns and countryside raising a smile from the public particularly with their loving dog Ben sitting on Kathy’s knee and looking over the door of the car.

When Kathy recently died, a light went out in Nick’s eyes but they are now together again. Nick Murray is remembered by many as a gifted artist, a talented mechanic and restorer and a true friend. The classic cars he leaves behind are a lasting true legacy of his life’s work and will stand the test of time. 

He restored cars for many local and distant collectors, gave advice to many, helped many and made lasting friendships throughout the world of classic cars. If you wanted to know anything about MG’s you had to see Nick Murray and he was always there to help.

The thoughts of all his friends are with his two beloved daughters at this sad time but his memory will live on in the quality of the restorations he completed over the last 50 years and when people ask ‘who restored that car for you?’, the answer will often be…

‘Nick Murray of Omagh built it’

‘Wow, he did a fantastic job.’

From Philip Faithfull and all his friends and colleagues.