SPIRIT OF OMAGH COULD NOT BE BROKEN
Spirit of Omagh could not be broken
As Omagh prepares for the anniversary of last year's bombing atrocity, ENDA McCLAFFERTY reports on how both sides of the community have been united by the event.
IT was to be a day of celebration for the people of Omagh.
The day when 100 Protestant and Catholic schoolchildren were to take part in the town's first ever cross-community carnival.
The highlight of a successful week-long festival, the parade through the town .centre was due off at 3pm but at the last minute it was postponed until 3.30pm.
As the children counted down the last few minutes, a few hundred yards away another countdown had begun.
At 3.10pm, a 500lb car bomb reduced the town centre to rubble and what was to be a day to remember became a day that Omagh will never forget. But in a cruel twist of irony, the bombers achieved what the festival organisers had set out to do.
They - through the mass murder of 29 Protestant and Catholics - bridged the sectarian divide.
They brought both communities closer than they had ever been before.
"Given the timing and location of the bomb, it was obvious that those who planted it were targeting the parade," explained Geraldine Keyes, one of the main organisers of the festival.
"They wanted to destroy the new cross-community spirit which was blossoming in the town, but thankfully their plan backfired.
"instead of driving a wedge between the communities, the bombers united the people of Omagh like never before.
"For many people the bomb put life into perspective. All of a sudden the little prejudices which divided Catholics and Protestants were forgotten as everyone rallied around to support each other."
As development officer with the umbrella community association Focus, Geraldine has been to the forefront of the recovery process in the Tyrone town.
Over the past 12 months she has helped organise countless events to heal the gaping wound left behind by the bomb.
Events such as the candle-light vigil, the Christmas Together project and the Community Healing Day have all played a part in rebuilding the town's shattered spirit.
"It has been a difficult year for all concerned, not least for the families of the bereaved and injured, but there has been a determination to show the world that Omagh is more than just a bomb site," said Geraldine.
"We were anxious to ensure that the town did not become stigmatised as a place of pain and suffering. Our task was made easier by the overwhelming support we received from around the world.
"Our office has been inundated with invitations from various hostels and hotels to take groups away on a weekend break.
"But we felt it was important that as much of the community rebuilding work as possible took place within Omagh."
One such event which gave the Focus team a tremendous boost was a fun day for children from Buncrana and Omagh.
"It was a very special and emotional day for all of us."
But the new found spirit of co-opertaion was not simply confined to cross-community work.
The bomb also triggered an unprecedented level of co-opertaion between government, voluntary and community bodies - the seeds of which were sown in the immediate aftermath with the setting up of the Interagency Group.
Among those involved were the Sperrin Lakeland Trust, Omagh District Council, the RUC, NIHE, Omagh Church Forum, WELB, Omagh Women's Area Network, Voluntary Groups and FOCUS.
Local Presbyterian Minister Robert Herron was one of those involved in the Churches Forum.
He, like the rest of the Church leaders in Omagh, played a pivotal role in the recovery process.
"After such a disaster like the Omagh bomb, it was vital that the proper measures are put in place to deal with the aftermath," he said.
"The Interagency Group in the town involving the health and education boards, the council, police, churches and voluntary sector deserve great credit for the work they have done in the past year.
"I have no doubt the problem created by the bomb would have been compounded were it not for such a co-ordinated strategy."
He also paid tribute to young people in the town for the courage they had shown;
"The new togetherness in the town is particularly evident among young people who have had to confront death and horrific injuries," he said.
"Through it all they have found a desire to affirm one another and to give each other greater space."
Although Omagh is now well on the road to recovery, it may be some time before it will host a cross-community festival similar to that held 12 months ago.
As Geraldine Keyes conceded: "Emotions are still very raw and it will be some time before the people of Omagh are ready for a street celebration."
But perhaps the greatest injustice is that any such cross-community celebration will act as a reminder of the events of August 1998.
"People will always associate our first cross-community festival with the Omagh bomb and there is very little we can do about it," said Geraldine.
As Omagh prepares for the anniversary of last year's bombing atrocity, ENDA McCLAFFERTY reports on how both sides of the community have been united by the event.
IT was to be a day of celebration for the people of Omagh.
The day when 100 Protestant and Catholic schoolchildren were to take part in the town's first ever cross-community carnival.
The highlight of a successful week-long festival, the parade through the town .centre was due off at 3pm but at the last minute it was postponed until 3.30pm.
As the children counted down the last few minutes, a few hundred yards away another countdown had begun.
At 3.10pm, a 500lb car bomb reduced the town centre to rubble and what was to be a day to remember became a day that Omagh will never forget. But in a cruel twist of irony, the bombers achieved what the festival organisers had set out to do.
They - through the mass murder of 29 Protestant and Catholics - bridged the sectarian divide.
They brought both communities closer than they had ever been before.
"Given the timing and location of the bomb, it was obvious that those who planted it were targeting the parade," explained Geraldine Keyes, one of the main organisers of the festival.
"They wanted to destroy the new cross-community spirit which was blossoming in the town, but thankfully their plan backfired.
"instead of driving a wedge between the communities, the bombers united the people of Omagh like never before.
"For many people the bomb put life into perspective. All of a sudden the little prejudices which divided Catholics and Protestants were forgotten as everyone rallied around to support each other."
As development officer with the umbrella community association Focus, Geraldine has been to the forefront of the recovery process in the Tyrone town.
Over the past 12 months she has helped organise countless events to heal the gaping wound left behind by the bomb.
Events such as the candle-light vigil, the Christmas Together project and the Community Healing Day have all played a part in rebuilding the town's shattered spirit.
"It has been a difficult year for all concerned, not least for the families of the bereaved and injured, but there has been a determination to show the world that Omagh is more than just a bomb site," said Geraldine.
"We were anxious to ensure that the town did not become stigmatised as a place of pain and suffering. Our task was made easier by the overwhelming support we received from around the world.
"Our office has been inundated with invitations from various hostels and hotels to take groups away on a weekend break.
"But we felt it was important that as much of the community rebuilding work as possible took place within Omagh."
One such event which gave the Focus team a tremendous boost was a fun day for children from Buncrana and Omagh.
"It was a very special and emotional day for all of us."
But the new found spirit of co-opertaion was not simply confined to cross-community work.
The bomb also triggered an unprecedented level of co-opertaion between government, voluntary and community bodies - the seeds of which were sown in the immediate aftermath with the setting up of the Interagency Group.
Among those involved were the Sperrin Lakeland Trust, Omagh District Council, the RUC, NIHE, Omagh Church Forum, WELB, Omagh Women's Area Network, Voluntary Groups and FOCUS.
Local Presbyterian Minister Robert Herron was one of those involved in the Churches Forum.
He, like the rest of the Church leaders in Omagh, played a pivotal role in the recovery process.
"After such a disaster like the Omagh bomb, it was vital that the proper measures are put in place to deal with the aftermath," he said.
"The Interagency Group in the town involving the health and education boards, the council, police, churches and voluntary sector deserve great credit for the work they have done in the past year.
"I have no doubt the problem created by the bomb would have been compounded were it not for such a co-ordinated strategy."
He also paid tribute to young people in the town for the courage they had shown;
"The new togetherness in the town is particularly evident among young people who have had to confront death and horrific injuries," he said.
"Through it all they have found a desire to affirm one another and to give each other greater space."
Although Omagh is now well on the road to recovery, it may be some time before it will host a cross-community festival similar to that held 12 months ago.
As Geraldine Keyes conceded: "Emotions are still very raw and it will be some time before the people of Omagh are ready for a street celebration."
But perhaps the greatest injustice is that any such cross-community celebration will act as a reminder of the events of August 1998.
"People will always associate our first cross-community festival with the Omagh bomb and there is very little we can do about it," said Geraldine.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0580
Published Date: 11-Aug-99
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