SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENT FR. CAROLAN
Slaughter of the Innocent - Fr. Carolan
BUNCRANA's Parish Priest Father Joe Carolan best described the feelings of people in the town on Sunday when he labelled the killing of three local boys and two Spanish visitors as the "slaughter of the innocent."
"There is no justification for what these people did. It was a carnival of peace going on in Omagh and people were out shopping. An act of unmitigated evil is the only way I can describe it," he said.
Along with the town's two curates. Fr. Shane Bradley, who is a native of Omagh and Fr.Charlie Keaney, Fr Carolan has been comforting the families of the dead and injured since the horror began to unfold on Saturday evening.
The grim task of helping to identify the bodies in the make shift morgue at a British Army Camp in Omagh was horrific.
"It was one of the most horrifying ordeals of my life as a priest. I will never forget it. Medical staff asked for details, what they were wearing and the colour of their eyes, anything to match up with the remains in the morgue. It was terrible. I will never forget their three beautiful faces," Fr. Carolan said.
Fr Bradley fought back tears as he broke the sad news to shocked Mass goers on Sunday. He later described the children's deaths as ''savage and evil."
''The reality is beginning to sink in at how awful the whole thing is. I have had some tragic deaths to deal with before, but nothing could have prepared me for this. What they did was totally inhuman," Fr Bradley added.
As the local priests visited the homes of the dead children, they prayed with families and friends and did all that they could to try to console the bereaved.
On Tuesday night all three priests and Rev. Sam Barton, led prayers when up to four thousand people walked in a candle lit procession from the Iron Bridge at the entrance to the town to the market square.
"The service was short but it helped. I think we all needed to come together and pray," one local woman said.
Two very brief messages were read out by representatives of Oran Doherty's family and James Barker's family. Oran's grandfather, Gerry Doherty called for sympathy for everyone who had go through this pain in the last thirty years. No one could describe the pain, he said.
BUNCRANA's Parish Priest Father Joe Carolan best described the feelings of people in the town on Sunday when he labelled the killing of three local boys and two Spanish visitors as the "slaughter of the innocent."
"There is no justification for what these people did. It was a carnival of peace going on in Omagh and people were out shopping. An act of unmitigated evil is the only way I can describe it," he said.
Along with the town's two curates. Fr. Shane Bradley, who is a native of Omagh and Fr.Charlie Keaney, Fr Carolan has been comforting the families of the dead and injured since the horror began to unfold on Saturday evening.
The grim task of helping to identify the bodies in the make shift morgue at a British Army Camp in Omagh was horrific.
"It was one of the most horrifying ordeals of my life as a priest. I will never forget it. Medical staff asked for details, what they were wearing and the colour of their eyes, anything to match up with the remains in the morgue. It was terrible. I will never forget their three beautiful faces," Fr. Carolan said.
Fr Bradley fought back tears as he broke the sad news to shocked Mass goers on Sunday. He later described the children's deaths as ''savage and evil."
''The reality is beginning to sink in at how awful the whole thing is. I have had some tragic deaths to deal with before, but nothing could have prepared me for this. What they did was totally inhuman," Fr Bradley added.
As the local priests visited the homes of the dead children, they prayed with families and friends and did all that they could to try to console the bereaved.
On Tuesday night all three priests and Rev. Sam Barton, led prayers when up to four thousand people walked in a candle lit procession from the Iron Bridge at the entrance to the town to the market square.
"The service was short but it helped. I think we all needed to come together and pray," one local woman said.
Two very brief messages were read out by representatives of Oran Doherty's family and James Barker's family. Oran's grandfather, Gerry Doherty called for sympathy for everyone who had go through this pain in the last thirty years. No one could describe the pain, he said.
Further Information
Publisher: DERRY PEOPLE DONEGAL NEWS
Ref: DPDN/025
Published Date: 21-Aug-98
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