A LOT has changed in the past 50 years – but one thing that hasn’t is The Impartial Reporter’s coverage of life in and around Fermanagh, covering all kinds of people and events in all walks of life.

From the best and worst of times, to the hum of commerce and the laughter of locals, this paper has always featured snapshots of ordinary, everyday life and many of the key moments that have defined life by the lakes and loughs of the county.

And so, this week, we’ve rifled through our archives and negatives to put together a look back at 1972, stepping back in time a neat 50 years to January of that year, back to a very different county and decade, which many older citizens may well remember.

Then as now, the character of the good, decent people of Fermanagh and beyond shines through even in these black and white shots, as we invite you to take a little break to remind ourselves a little of some of the way we were, back then, even as we all move on with what seems to already be a busy, rushing 2022.