Allan Kenneth Duncan, a well-known Omagh businessman and proprietor of the Silverbirch Hotel, has been named the High Sheriff of County Tyrone for 2025 by His Majesty The King. He takes over from David Moore of Woodbrook House, Newtownstewart, who held the role in 2024.
A native of Omagh, Mr. Duncan is deeply rooted in the local community, with his family's business ties tracing back to 1893. His great-grandfather Andrew and grandfather Fred operated a variety of businesses in Drumquin, including a shop, post office, pub, drapery, meal merchant, and hotel. Over time, the family's entrepreneurial spirit grew, with Mr Duncan's father Jimmy and uncle Ian managing three hotels at one stage.
Today, the Silverbirch Hotel, under Mr. Duncan's leadership, remains one of the leading venues for dining, accommodation, and entertainment in the region. Supported by his wife Nicola and mother Hazel, the family continues to uphold a tradition of community service. Mr Duncan and Nicola's daughter Ella is currently pursuing teacher training at Northumbria University in Newcastle.
Beyond his business ventures, Mr. Duncan finds balance as the chairman of the Omagh Academicals Rugby Football Club, a role he describes as a welcome diversion from the challenges of managing a hotel.
Embracing the challenge
Expressing his enthusiasm for the role, Mr. Duncan said: "I'm honoured and delighted to be asked in the first place. I'm not sure what my schedule will entail yet, but I understand it's a historical role that goes back over 400 years. I'm hoping to carry on the proud tradition of previous High Sheriffs in Tyrone and fulfil the role as the demands come in. I welcome the responsibility it brings."
As Mr. Duncan steps into this prestigious position, he looks forward to making a positive impact on County Tyrone while upholding the centuries-old traditions of the High Sheriff's office.
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County Tyrone is the largest of the six counties which comprise Northern Ireland. It is an "island" county, bounded to the north by Londonderry, to the south by Fermanagh and Monaghan, to the west by Donegal and Fermanagh and to the east by Armagh and Lough Neagh. With a population approaching 200,000 Tyrone occupies an area of some 1260 square miles (or 806,305 acres). The county town is Omagh and the other major centres are Dungannon, Strabane, Cookstown and Castlederg. Courts sit in Dungannon, Omagh and Strabane. Once a major source of flax growing and linen production, Tyrone is still predominantly involved in agriculture and food production; Moy Park, one of the United Kingdom's top 15 food companies and Northern Ireland's largest private sector business is based at Dungannon. Heavy engineering and the manufacturing of specialist materials handling equipment form an important part of the county's economy as does the construction industry which is heavily involved in both the public and private sectors throughout Northern Ireland and beyond.
The name derives from Tir Eoghain - the land of Eoghain, a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Several American presidents (including James Buchanan, Ulysses Grant and Woodrow Wilson) and financiers (including Thomas Mellon) had ancestral links with Tyrone as did well-known authors (including William Carlton, Benedict Kiely, W F Marshall, Brian O'Nolan and Brian Friel). The American Declaration of Independence was printed by John Dunlap who was born in Strabane and learned the printing trade there and these transatlantic connections may best be appreciated at the Ulster American Folk Park and Mellon Centre for Migration Studies at Omagh. Strabane also produced Annie Russell Maunder, the pioneering astronomer after whom a crater on the surface of the Moon is named, and Mrs Cecil Frances Alexander, the celebrated hymn writer.
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News items to follow.
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Please note, this is not a definitive list of past High Sheriffs as the information has been gathered from various sources which have not all been verified at this time.
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