BUNCRANA LEARNS OF OMAGH MASSACRE
Buncrana learns of Omagh massacre
Our reporter, Kate Heaney was amongst the congregation at Mass in Buncrana on Sunday when a local priest told his shocked parishioners that three local boys, and two young Spaniards were killed in the Omagh bomb. She recalls how news of the tragedy filtered through on Saturday evening and left a town, county and country numbed with grief.
Buncrana awoke on Sunday morning to the horrific news that three local children and two of its Spanish exchange visitors had died in the Omagh bomb.
Oran Doherty (8) and Shaun McLaughlin (12) from Knockalla Drive, James Barker (12) from Porthaw Glen, Fernando Blasco (12) and their teacher Rocia Abad (23) both from Madrid, had been killed in the worst slaughter ever seen in Northern Ireland.
Two local children and ten of their Spanish friends were still in hospital recovering from their injuries. Emmet McLaughlin (8), Ronan McGrory (13) and Uki Blasco, a sister of Fernando, have all undergone surgery since Saturday. Uki and many of the injured children were flown back to Spain on Tuesday with the remains of their dead friends.
The news that the bus load of thirty Spanish children, ten local children and their three teachers had been caught, up in the blast, reached the town when Rita Marie Doherty telephoned her mother to say there was a bomb in Omagh. While on the phone, the bomb went off and the line went dead.
Families waited anxiously for news, not knowing if the children were safe. Rita Marie's mother, Rita, described it as the most agonising hours of her life.
"I will never forget hearing the blast over the telephone," she said.
Anxious parents waited until after 9pm.until a mini-bus returned to Buncrana carrying sixteen of the forty three who had gone for the day out. The parents of Latish Robinson from Inch drove to Omagh and eventually located their daughter and her four friends. For the families of those who had not returned by then, an agonising night lay ahead.
Travelling to Omagh they waked searching hospital lists and not finding the names of their children among the casualties. Parish Priest of Buncrana, Father Joseph Carolan and Fr. Shane Bradley waited with the families.
Liam McGonagle, the bus driver, was unable to speak of the afternoon's events he was so badly shaken. He searched Omagh for hours trying to find all of the forty three that he had brought to the Ulster American Folk Park and into the town for a day's shopping.
In the early hours of Sunday morning the families worst fears were confirmed.
"In Omagh we waited for hours as members of the RUC asked for details on what the missing children were wearing. It was a very harrowing time. The fathers of two of the dead local children and the parents of James Barker came to the Leisure Centre in Omagh. It was chaotic, people were crying. When we and the parents and leaders were finally brought to identify the dead children it was like walking along death row," local curate Fr Shane Bradley said.
He is a native of Omagh and he finally got to visit his father at 1.30am.
The true extent of the devastation for Buncrana was heard at Masses on Sunday morning.
"In my three and a half years in Buncrana I never thought that I would have to tell you that three local children and two Spanish students have been murdered in the Omagh bomb," Fr.Bradley told a stunned congregation at 12.30pm. Mass.
The Duke family from Buncrana travelled to the Royal Victoria Hospital on Sunday where Marta (9) a student staying with them had been taken. She required surgery and consent papers had to be signed. Marta had suffered burns to her body.
Many of the Spanish parents first heard that their children were caught up in the bomb when they saw reports on Sky news. They flew into Aldergrove Airport, Belfast at 4.30 on Sunday, where host families and local clergy were waiting to meet them. The Spanish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister accompanied them.
Buncrana has been hosting exchange students from Madrid for the last ten years and many of the children returned year after year. They were very much a part of the host families they stayed with.
Doctors in Buncrana organised counselling Sessions on Sunday afternoon for all of the Spanish children and their local friends Scoil losagain, where they had their English classes remained open as a meeting point for the children and families.
"Never have we had to deal with grief and shock such a scale. So many people have been effect this awful tragedy. The children were yesterday sharing their wee photographs that they took at the Folk Park and on the bus. They just needed to talk to share their grief," Counsellor Christine Walderon explained.
Buncrana was like a ghost town throughout Sunday as the full reality of the horror visited on it began to sink in.
Our reporter, Kate Heaney was amongst the congregation at Mass in Buncrana on Sunday when a local priest told his shocked parishioners that three local boys, and two young Spaniards were killed in the Omagh bomb. She recalls how news of the tragedy filtered through on Saturday evening and left a town, county and country numbed with grief.
Buncrana awoke on Sunday morning to the horrific news that three local children and two of its Spanish exchange visitors had died in the Omagh bomb.
Oran Doherty (8) and Shaun McLaughlin (12) from Knockalla Drive, James Barker (12) from Porthaw Glen, Fernando Blasco (12) and their teacher Rocia Abad (23) both from Madrid, had been killed in the worst slaughter ever seen in Northern Ireland.
Two local children and ten of their Spanish friends were still in hospital recovering from their injuries. Emmet McLaughlin (8), Ronan McGrory (13) and Uki Blasco, a sister of Fernando, have all undergone surgery since Saturday. Uki and many of the injured children were flown back to Spain on Tuesday with the remains of their dead friends.
The news that the bus load of thirty Spanish children, ten local children and their three teachers had been caught, up in the blast, reached the town when Rita Marie Doherty telephoned her mother to say there was a bomb in Omagh. While on the phone, the bomb went off and the line went dead.
Families waited anxiously for news, not knowing if the children were safe. Rita Marie's mother, Rita, described it as the most agonising hours of her life.
"I will never forget hearing the blast over the telephone," she said.
Anxious parents waited until after 9pm.until a mini-bus returned to Buncrana carrying sixteen of the forty three who had gone for the day out. The parents of Latish Robinson from Inch drove to Omagh and eventually located their daughter and her four friends. For the families of those who had not returned by then, an agonising night lay ahead.
Travelling to Omagh they waked searching hospital lists and not finding the names of their children among the casualties. Parish Priest of Buncrana, Father Joseph Carolan and Fr. Shane Bradley waited with the families.
Liam McGonagle, the bus driver, was unable to speak of the afternoon's events he was so badly shaken. He searched Omagh for hours trying to find all of the forty three that he had brought to the Ulster American Folk Park and into the town for a day's shopping.
In the early hours of Sunday morning the families worst fears were confirmed.
"In Omagh we waited for hours as members of the RUC asked for details on what the missing children were wearing. It was a very harrowing time. The fathers of two of the dead local children and the parents of James Barker came to the Leisure Centre in Omagh. It was chaotic, people were crying. When we and the parents and leaders were finally brought to identify the dead children it was like walking along death row," local curate Fr Shane Bradley said.
He is a native of Omagh and he finally got to visit his father at 1.30am.
The true extent of the devastation for Buncrana was heard at Masses on Sunday morning.
"In my three and a half years in Buncrana I never thought that I would have to tell you that three local children and two Spanish students have been murdered in the Omagh bomb," Fr.Bradley told a stunned congregation at 12.30pm. Mass.
The Duke family from Buncrana travelled to the Royal Victoria Hospital on Sunday where Marta (9) a student staying with them had been taken. She required surgery and consent papers had to be signed. Marta had suffered burns to her body.
Many of the Spanish parents first heard that their children were caught up in the bomb when they saw reports on Sky news. They flew into Aldergrove Airport, Belfast at 4.30 on Sunday, where host families and local clergy were waiting to meet them. The Spanish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister accompanied them.
Buncrana has been hosting exchange students from Madrid for the last ten years and many of the children returned year after year. They were very much a part of the host families they stayed with.
Doctors in Buncrana organised counselling Sessions on Sunday afternoon for all of the Spanish children and their local friends Scoil losagain, where they had their English classes remained open as a meeting point for the children and families.
"Never have we had to deal with grief and shock such a scale. So many people have been effect this awful tragedy. The children were yesterday sharing their wee photographs that they took at the Folk Park and on the bus. They just needed to talk to share their grief," Counsellor Christine Walderon explained.
Buncrana was like a ghost town throughout Sunday as the full reality of the horror visited on it began to sink in.
Further Information
Publisher: DERRY PEOPLE DONEGAL NEWS
Ref: DPDN/015
Published Date: 21-Aug-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.