YOUTH TELLS OF OMAGH BOMB
Youth tells of Omagh bomb
By Staff Reporter
A TEENAGER from Omagh has told how he was affected by the bomb attack in 1998 which devastated his community.
Jonathan McGurgan (18), from Woodbank Road, Arvalee, was one of two young people from Northern Ireland chosen to address a recent international conference on children's rights in Israel. He was accompanied on the trip by Nichola Gibbon, also 18, from Dungannon.
Jonathan delivered a ten-minute speech to over 150 worldwide delegates, explaining how the Troubles had affected people he had grown up with.
"I was able to tell them how the bombing (which killed 29 people) had actually brought the people of the town closer together, " said Jonathan, a student at the Christian Brothers School in Omagh.
The Israeli trip came in the wake of a visit to the US last summer when Jonathan was one of 11 young people from the Omagh area who travelled to Bangor, Maine, as part of the Spirit of Enniskillen bursary award scheme.
Entitled the International Rights of the Child and Religion at a Crossroads, the conference was sponsored by the Swiss Government.
Jonathan, who hopes to follow a career in politics or law, said: "It was marvellous just to experience the different cultures and the trip also gave us an insight into the problems the people of that country have experienced throughout the years."
By Staff Reporter
A TEENAGER from Omagh has told how he was affected by the bomb attack in 1998 which devastated his community.
Jonathan McGurgan (18), from Woodbank Road, Arvalee, was one of two young people from Northern Ireland chosen to address a recent international conference on children's rights in Israel. He was accompanied on the trip by Nichola Gibbon, also 18, from Dungannon.
Jonathan delivered a ten-minute speech to over 150 worldwide delegates, explaining how the Troubles had affected people he had grown up with.
"I was able to tell them how the bombing (which killed 29 people) had actually brought the people of the town closer together, " said Jonathan, a student at the Christian Brothers School in Omagh.
The Israeli trip came in the wake of a visit to the US last summer when Jonathan was one of 11 young people from the Omagh area who travelled to Bangor, Maine, as part of the Spirit of Enniskillen bursary award scheme.
Entitled the International Rights of the Child and Religion at a Crossroads, the conference was sponsored by the Swiss Government.
Jonathan, who hopes to follow a career in politics or law, said: "It was marvellous just to experience the different cultures and the trip also gave us an insight into the problems the people of that country have experienced throughout the years."
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0729
Published Date: 25-Jan-00
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