A successful Dutch entrepreneur, who has been credited with the sensational silencer for wooden clogs, has taken the confectionary world by storm by inventing midge-flavoured chewing gum which is already proving a smash hit for those from East Tyrone living abroad.

Terry Van Dirnagh (55), who shot to fame in 1998 after developing a silencer for wooden clogs favoured by Dutchmen on nights out, has already shipped over 50’000 units of his gum, named ‘Fly Chewy’, to places such as Australia, New York and Dublin.

Van Dirnagh is convinced this is only the start:

“I was walking through Ardboe at the start of May and noticed that many of the locals were eating chewing gum with their mouths opened and there were loads of flies flying into their mouths and they didn’t mind at all. It then hit me that many exiles are probably missing the experience of midges and chewing gum in the one go. I can’t believe how popular it is. It goes well with 7-Up i’m told.”

Van Dirnagh was recently cleared of accusations that his silencer on clogs allowed Dutch burglars to sneak upstairs in houses undetected.