BT/0922

OMAGH CHEIF OFFERS MADRID SYMPATHY

Omagh chief offers Madrid sympathy
By Michael McHugh

OMAGH District Council is to establish links with the devastated community of Madrid, the chairman of the council said today.
Allan Rainey visited the terror-stricken city last week to deliver a message of sympathy and said many of the images were hauntingly familiar to any one from Northern Ireland. He added that council members would bring a book of condolences to the city later in the year.
Mr Rainey believed that people standing amid the bomb wreckage were still struggling to come to terms with their loss but added that he had been well-received by public representatives and members of the community.
Omagh held a special council meeting last week to draft a script expressing, councillors' sympathy and solidarity with the people of Spain.
Mr Rainey only visited Madrid for a few hours as part of a council business trip but said the sense of grief was palpable.
"The situation was just very familiar to what we have experienced over the years in Northern Ireland and Omagh: the candles; the cards; the messages; the people standing around numbed," he said.

Further Information

Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH

Ref: BT/0922

Published Date: 24-Mar-04

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