By Tim Binnall
Officials in a Northern Ireland town are hoping to find the source of a maddening mystery hum which has tormented residents for weeks. According to a local media report, the strange case started in the middle of October when people in the community of Omagh first noticed the annoying noise, which is described as a continuous hum or buzz that drones on for several hours during the night. Irritated residents eventually brought their concerns to local official Stephen Donnelly, who has led the campaign to get to the bottom of the odd mystery. "For a considerable number of people," he lamented "it's something that's providing a disturbance that is giving real cause for concern" as many people say that they have been unable to sleep due to the persistent sound.
However, as is so often the case with mystery sounds that plague communities, finding the source of the noise so that it can be silenced has proven to be no small task. To that end, Donnelly conceded that while he suspects that it might somehow be weather-related, "the honest point at this stage is that we don't know the actual origin." Making the mystery all the more challenging to solve, he noted that initial reports suggested that the sound was only being heard in one part of the town, which would presumably make it easier to locate. However, as he began talking to more residents about the issue, "it became clear that it was something that was affecting the entirety of the town."
As one might imagine, all manner of suggestions have been put forward as to the source of the mystery sound, including some rather fantastic possibilities such as aliens, which Donnelly understandably dismissed. "The thing that I always say to people is, don't trust the conspiracy theories," he mused, "what is a fun problem will undoubtedly have a very boring explanation in time. And I have no doubt that this will be the same." Having been unable to locate the origin of the noise, local officials now plan to enlist specialists who might be able to determine what is causing it and, to the relief of beleaguered residents, put a stop to the sound and bring silence back to the community.