WINDOW OF HOPE TO REMEMBER VICTIMS
Windows of Hope remember victims
BY BRENDAN McDAID
bmcdaid@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
RELATIVES of those killed in the Omagh bombing gathered in the North West over the weekend to unveil stained glass windows in memory of their loved ones.
The windows, designed and created by the bereaved relatives and the injured, were unveiled during poignant ceremonies at Scoil Iosagain Primary in Buncrana and Omagh Library on Saturday.
A third window will be unveiled in Madrid later this year, while a fourth will be erected at Claudy to remember the victims of the 1972 Claudy bombing.
In total 38 people and two unborn babies were killed in the two bombings, with scores more injured.
Entitled the Windows of Hope project, the initiative was instigated by the co-ordinator of the Shared City Project, Jeanette Warke, and funded by Derry City Council and the Community Relations Council of Northern Ireland.
The Omagh bombing was the most lethal atrocity of the Troubles. The Real IRA attack on the centre of Omagh on August 15, 1998, killed 29 people, among them a woman pregnant with twins.
Three of the children killed came from Buncrana - Oran Doherty (8), Sean McLaughlin (12) and James Barker (12).
Two Spaniards, Rocio Abad Ramos (23) and Fernando Baselga (12), who were staying in Buncrana on an exchange programme, were also killed.
On Saturday, August 29, the relatives of the nine people killed in Claudy will gather at the Diamond Centre.
Ms Warke said: "It was a great honour for me to be part of the project and to afford the families temporary relief from the trouble and pain they continue to endure with the loss of their loves ones in the horrific aftermath of the bombs in Claudy and Omagh."The families hope that the windows will send out a message of hope to all affected by the Troubles on the island of Ireland."
BY BRENDAN McDAID
bmcdaid@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
RELATIVES of those killed in the Omagh bombing gathered in the North West over the weekend to unveil stained glass windows in memory of their loved ones.
The windows, designed and created by the bereaved relatives and the injured, were unveiled during poignant ceremonies at Scoil Iosagain Primary in Buncrana and Omagh Library on Saturday.
A third window will be unveiled in Madrid later this year, while a fourth will be erected at Claudy to remember the victims of the 1972 Claudy bombing.
In total 38 people and two unborn babies were killed in the two bombings, with scores more injured.
Entitled the Windows of Hope project, the initiative was instigated by the co-ordinator of the Shared City Project, Jeanette Warke, and funded by Derry City Council and the Community Relations Council of Northern Ireland.
The Omagh bombing was the most lethal atrocity of the Troubles. The Real IRA attack on the centre of Omagh on August 15, 1998, killed 29 people, among them a woman pregnant with twins.
Three of the children killed came from Buncrana - Oran Doherty (8), Sean McLaughlin (12) and James Barker (12).
Two Spaniards, Rocio Abad Ramos (23) and Fernando Baselga (12), who were staying in Buncrana on an exchange programme, were also killed.
On Saturday, August 29, the relatives of the nine people killed in Claudy will gather at the Diamond Centre.
Ms Warke said: "It was a great honour for me to be part of the project and to afford the families temporary relief from the trouble and pain they continue to endure with the loss of their loves ones in the horrific aftermath of the bombs in Claudy and Omagh."The families hope that the windows will send out a message of hope to all affected by the Troubles on the island of Ireland."
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/1169
Published Date: 17-Aug-09
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