PEACE MEANS THE WORLD TO THESE MOTHERS
Peace means the world to these mothers
THEY come from different countries, hundreds of miles apart.
But Patricia Keyes and Helguero Peuch were united in shock and grief as they held each other's hands at a news conference in the Royal Victoria hospital yesterday.
Mrs Peuch arrived in Northern Ireland from Spain yesterday and went directly to the Belfast hospital where her daughter had been transferred from Omagh on Saturday night.
She immediately met the families of casualties from Northern Ireland and appeared to have bonded with Mrs Keyes.
Both daughters are being treated in the intensive care unit of the Royal Victoria Infirmary.
Mrs Peuch's daughter Beatrez, aged nine, was on holiday as part of a Spanish exchange trip from Madrid when she was injured.
Mrs Keyes, whose husband Malachy was sitting next to her, is the mother of injured woman Donna Marie Keyes.
Mrs Peuch said that despite her upset at her daughter's injuries she was now looking to the future and trying to deal as best she can.
She added: "There is good and evil everywhere.
"We have to try and squeeze out the bad things.
"This has happened and we have to cope with it and get along with it the best we can.
"It happened in Spain, Algeria, the States, anywhere. We have now got to try and build on the good and not just look always at the bad parts."
She said her experience would not put her off visiting Ireland's North or South in future and that her sister is currently involved in a similar exchange trip in County Donegal in the Republic.
Mrs Keyes said that Her family's experience over the past three days has made her more determined than ever that the peace process is the best way forward for Northern Ireland.
She said "Just because our daughter is in intensive care it doesn't mean we don't still believe in it.
"We met Tony Blair last night and we encouraged him to go with it.
"The whole family are still 100% behind the peace process."
Mr Keyes launched a blistering attack on the bombers.
He said "I am not well educated in politics but I know there is no politics in the people who bombed Omagh.
"My perception of it is that the godfathers set this up and sent some halfwit to try to put a bomb into Omagh, who was such a coward that he just dropped it off in the first available car park space he could get.
"I shudder to think that the godfathers were so devious that they set off to blow innocent people apart.
"If these people have anything to offer they would have been involved in the peace agreements for Northern Ireland.
"1 just wish to God that they have now woken up."
Mr Keyes appealed for his family to be given privacy to help his daughter recover.
He said: "Each and every one of the families are suffering with the pain that we have."
He was full of praise for the Royal Victoria and Omagh hospitals for the treatment his daughter had received.
He said: "It has been unbelievable. I never realised there was so much love and kindness in the world until I had the dealings with these hospitals.
"I hope to God you never have to go through what we have been through.
"But the tunnel we are going through has a light at the end of it and each day it gets a little bit brighter. Our hopes are growing."
Mr Keyes said he was sure his daughter would have died if she had not received such good treatment in hospital at Omagh before she was transferred to Belfast.
He said his family had been helped by the actions of all the medical staff who had looked after their daughter.
He joined his wife in encouraging Tony Blair to continue with the peace process.
"This was a new opportunity for us," he said.
Mr Keyes again appealed in the strongest terms for privacy for all the families involved in the tragedy.
THEY come from different countries, hundreds of miles apart.
But Patricia Keyes and Helguero Peuch were united in shock and grief as they held each other's hands at a news conference in the Royal Victoria hospital yesterday.
Mrs Peuch arrived in Northern Ireland from Spain yesterday and went directly to the Belfast hospital where her daughter had been transferred from Omagh on Saturday night.
She immediately met the families of casualties from Northern Ireland and appeared to have bonded with Mrs Keyes.
Both daughters are being treated in the intensive care unit of the Royal Victoria Infirmary.
Mrs Peuch's daughter Beatrez, aged nine, was on holiday as part of a Spanish exchange trip from Madrid when she was injured.
Mrs Keyes, whose husband Malachy was sitting next to her, is the mother of injured woman Donna Marie Keyes.
Mrs Peuch said that despite her upset at her daughter's injuries she was now looking to the future and trying to deal as best she can.
She added: "There is good and evil everywhere.
"We have to try and squeeze out the bad things.
"This has happened and we have to cope with it and get along with it the best we can.
"It happened in Spain, Algeria, the States, anywhere. We have now got to try and build on the good and not just look always at the bad parts."
She said her experience would not put her off visiting Ireland's North or South in future and that her sister is currently involved in a similar exchange trip in County Donegal in the Republic.
Mrs Keyes said that Her family's experience over the past three days has made her more determined than ever that the peace process is the best way forward for Northern Ireland.
She said "Just because our daughter is in intensive care it doesn't mean we don't still believe in it.
"We met Tony Blair last night and we encouraged him to go with it.
"The whole family are still 100% behind the peace process."
Mr Keyes launched a blistering attack on the bombers.
He said "I am not well educated in politics but I know there is no politics in the people who bombed Omagh.
"My perception of it is that the godfathers set this up and sent some halfwit to try to put a bomb into Omagh, who was such a coward that he just dropped it off in the first available car park space he could get.
"I shudder to think that the godfathers were so devious that they set off to blow innocent people apart.
"If these people have anything to offer they would have been involved in the peace agreements for Northern Ireland.
"1 just wish to God that they have now woken up."
Mr Keyes appealed for his family to be given privacy to help his daughter recover.
He said: "Each and every one of the families are suffering with the pain that we have."
He was full of praise for the Royal Victoria and Omagh hospitals for the treatment his daughter had received.
He said: "It has been unbelievable. I never realised there was so much love and kindness in the world until I had the dealings with these hospitals.
"I hope to God you never have to go through what we have been through.
"But the tunnel we are going through has a light at the end of it and each day it gets a little bit brighter. Our hopes are growing."
Mr Keyes said he was sure his daughter would have died if she had not received such good treatment in hospital at Omagh before she was transferred to Belfast.
He said his family had been helped by the actions of all the medical staff who had looked after their daughter.
He joined his wife in encouraging Tony Blair to continue with the peace process.
"This was a new opportunity for us," he said.
Mr Keyes again appealed in the strongest terms for privacy for all the families involved in the tragedy.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0061
Published Date: 18-Aug-98
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