Families gathered at the memorial garden in the town to remember lost loved ones
Relatives and friends of those who died in the Omagh bomb have remembered their loved ones at a special service on the 25th anniversary of the atrocity.
It was the greatest single loss of life in the history of the Northern Ireland Troubles.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan, 21, was killed in the bombing said Sunday’s service showed people were unified.
He said the attendance was a “powerful testimony to community spirit and cohesion 25 years after our small town was ripped apart”.
Michael Gallagher, the father of one of the victims, spoke at the service on Sunday
He also paid tribute to Fr Kevin Mullan, who died in May of this year. He said the priest had helped “rebuild hearts and minds” in the wake of the bomb.
No one has ever been convicted of carrying out the attack.
Bereaved families had been campaigning for an inquiry for more than a decade.
Image source, Brian Lawless
Many people came out to pay their respects to the dead in Omagh on Sunday
Sunday’s commemoration had been organised by Omagh Support and Self-Help Group, Families Moving On and the Omagh Churches’ Forum.
They said it was an opportunity for people to come together to remember the victims and survivors in a peaceful and supportive environment.
Image source, Brian Lawless
The service was organised by Omagh Support and Self-Help Group, Families Moving On and the Omagh Churches’ Forum
The service took place in the town’s memorial garden and consisted of music, prayer and reflection with contributions from the local community.
Representatives from the British and Irish governments attended the service.
Prayers were read in English, Irish and Spanish to reflect the nationalities of those who died.
What happened at Omagh?
A large car bomb exploded in the centre of the town on Saturday 15 August 1998.
It happened four months after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, the peace deal that eventually brought an end to decades of violence known as the Troubles.
The 29 victims of the Omagh bombing
It was carried out by dissident republican group the Real IRA, which split from the much larger Provisional IRA after objecting to its ceasefire of 1997.
Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt, who died in 2021, was found responsible for the Omagh bombing in a civil case in 2009, with three other men – Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly – also being found liable for the attack.
The four men were named by Mr Justice Morgan in a ruling made as part of a landmark case taken by some of the families of the victims.
The 12 relatives were awarded more than £1.6m in damages for the attack.
‘First atrocity of peace time’
Speaking ahead of the service, Mr Gallagher said the 25th anniversary was an “extremely difficult” time.
“They talk about this as being the worst atrocity of the Troubles, in fact, it was the first atrocity of peace time.
“But for us, and for all the other people that lost family members, it was a personal, individual family tragedy.”
He said the service and the demonstration of unity would provide them with comfort.
“One of the things that sustained us was the outpouring of support, of comfort, of love from the entire community,” he said.
“We weren’t two communities on the 15th of August, we were one community.”
The Omagh bombing: A timeline of events
Intense hurt remains
Father Eugene Hasson, the co-chair of Omagh Churches’ Forum, was the chaplain of Tyrone County Hospital in 1998.
In the aftermath of the bomb, he went to the crisis centre at Omagh leisure centre where relatives gathered to await news.
Fr Eugene Hasson said the intensity of hurt will not be as acute for some people as it is for others
“Many of us have been involved 25 years ago, and many others are new to the area and, for them, the Omagh bomb experience is a moment of history rather than a moment of experience of life,” said Fr Hasson.
“Naturally, the intensity of the hurt of 25 years ago will not be as acute for some people as it is for others, but it’s there and we acknowledge that.
“And we also acknowledge that there is also hope, people move forward, people desire peace, people want to move forward and they want healing, and that’s a personal thing and certainly a community thing, too.”
He said there would be a solidarity among those gathered together on Sunday afternoon.
“I remember distinctly people 25 years ago saying the people of Omagh will have the power within them to deal with this,” he said.
‘Great resilience’
“At times, they didn’t feel that, maybe, and a lot of people who were more grievously hurt certainly didn’t feel it.
“But there is great resilience in people here. And in the course of my time here, in ministry, I have experienced and listened to and heard so much of that resilience.”
Next Tuesday, the actual date of the 25th anniversary of the bombing, a short private service at Omagh library has been organised by Families Moving On.
Relatives will then be invited to lay flowers at the glass obelisk memorial that stands on the site of the bomb on Market Street.
