CAREFREE DAY TRIP THAT WAS TO END IN TRAGEDY
Carefree day trip that was to end in tragedy
By ANITA GUIDERA
THE Donegal town of Buncrana was struggling to come to terms last night with the deaths of three local boys and two Spanish people who were attending a language school there.
They had been part of a group of 55 children and adults who went on a day trip to Omagh, sixty miles away, on Saturday and were caught in the explosion.
Among the dead, who were named unofficially, are: Oran Doherty (8), Knockalla Drive; Sean McLaughlin (12), Knockalla Drive; James Barker (12), Porthall; Fernando Blasco Baselga (12), Madrid, and Rocia Abad Ramon (23), Madrid.
Ten Spanish students and leaders remain in hospital, four of whom are in a critical condition including the 14-year-old sister of the dead Spanish student.
The Spanish students were part of a group of fifty who arrived in Buncrana two weeks ago for a month at the Donegal Language Centre, which was established in the Inishowen town by a Spanish woman ten years ago.
A regular feature of the trip has been a day excursion to the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh followed by a shopping trip to the town itself. On Saturday that trip became a nightmare when the students and their Irish friends became the innocent victims of the worst atrocity in the history of the North.
Word of the explosion sent fear through the families of the ten local children and the host families of the 45 Spanish, who ranged in age from 11 to 17. Local Garda Sergeant Mick Murray was dispatched to Omagh to act as liaison officer between the hospitals, the Omagh Leisure Complex and the anxious families in Buncrana. As the evening advanced, he and others began to fear the worst.
"My concern grew for the safety of three local boys during the six hours which followed the explosion. Two of the fathers travelled down and I tried to aid them and other relatives in establishing the whereabouts of their loved ones and later in identifying the bodies,'' he said last night.
Initially 23 Spanish students and monitors were taken to hospitals in Belfast, Omagh and Derry including nine girls and four boys. Ten remain seriously injured including a second of the three monitors who were in charge of the group.
Spanish deputy premier Francisco Alvarez Cascos is expected to arrive in Belfast this morning with the relatives of the dead and injured along with teams of doctors and nurses to attend to the injured and accompany those well enough to travel home.
Local man Francis Caldwell, whose family was playing host to a 17-year-old female student, recalled the harrowing wait before they learned she was safe.
"It was not until the bus arrived back at 10.30pm on Saturday night that we knew she was safe. It was like the walking wounded. The young people came off the bus with bandages, stitches, scratches and cuts but at least they walked off and they were alive,'' a relieved Mr Caldwell said last night.
The sixteen young people who returned on the bus were the lucky ones. Last night they were called to attend a de-briefing session in a local hotel where they relived the horror of their shopping trip to bereavement counsellors.
Said one of the counsellors afterwards: "From what they have said, it had to be horrific for them. Approximately twenty had stayed away from the town centre to have a picnic so they were safe. The others had gone into the town to partake in a carnival atmosphere. At the time they were led to believe there was a second bomb so they waited in fear for a considerable length of time,'' he said.
Contact has been made with all the Spanish families and it is expected that most if not all, will return home within the next few days.
Parish Priest Very Rev Joseph Carolan, who spent Saturday night in Omagh with the families of the bereaved and injured, said the town was devastated by the news.
"The biggest irony of all is that they were attending a peace carnival. There is no excuse at all for an atrocity like this and nothing can justify it.''
Local curate Father Shane Bradley, who also attended the scene in Omagh, said; "What does this say about Irish hospitality? It makes me feel guilty and all I can say is sorry.''
This is the tenth year of the Donegal Language Centre in Buncrana and for local people the Spanish students have become a feature of life during the summer months.
While the trip to Omagh was especially arranged for the Spanish students it had become common practice for their new-found Irish friends to join them.
Reacting to the tragedy, school tutor Pauline Caldwell said she was devastated. "I cannot believe it. I was sitting here worrying about correcting texts when I got the news. Fernando was an angel and Rocio, who had only just joined us, was the loveliest girl,'' she said at her Buncrana home yesterday.
By ANITA GUIDERA
THE Donegal town of Buncrana was struggling to come to terms last night with the deaths of three local boys and two Spanish people who were attending a language school there.
They had been part of a group of 55 children and adults who went on a day trip to Omagh, sixty miles away, on Saturday and were caught in the explosion.
Among the dead, who were named unofficially, are: Oran Doherty (8), Knockalla Drive; Sean McLaughlin (12), Knockalla Drive; James Barker (12), Porthall; Fernando Blasco Baselga (12), Madrid, and Rocia Abad Ramon (23), Madrid.
Ten Spanish students and leaders remain in hospital, four of whom are in a critical condition including the 14-year-old sister of the dead Spanish student.
The Spanish students were part of a group of fifty who arrived in Buncrana two weeks ago for a month at the Donegal Language Centre, which was established in the Inishowen town by a Spanish woman ten years ago.
A regular feature of the trip has been a day excursion to the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh followed by a shopping trip to the town itself. On Saturday that trip became a nightmare when the students and their Irish friends became the innocent victims of the worst atrocity in the history of the North.
Word of the explosion sent fear through the families of the ten local children and the host families of the 45 Spanish, who ranged in age from 11 to 17. Local Garda Sergeant Mick Murray was dispatched to Omagh to act as liaison officer between the hospitals, the Omagh Leisure Complex and the anxious families in Buncrana. As the evening advanced, he and others began to fear the worst.
"My concern grew for the safety of three local boys during the six hours which followed the explosion. Two of the fathers travelled down and I tried to aid them and other relatives in establishing the whereabouts of their loved ones and later in identifying the bodies,'' he said last night.
Initially 23 Spanish students and monitors were taken to hospitals in Belfast, Omagh and Derry including nine girls and four boys. Ten remain seriously injured including a second of the three monitors who were in charge of the group.
Spanish deputy premier Francisco Alvarez Cascos is expected to arrive in Belfast this morning with the relatives of the dead and injured along with teams of doctors and nurses to attend to the injured and accompany those well enough to travel home.
Local man Francis Caldwell, whose family was playing host to a 17-year-old female student, recalled the harrowing wait before they learned she was safe.
"It was not until the bus arrived back at 10.30pm on Saturday night that we knew she was safe. It was like the walking wounded. The young people came off the bus with bandages, stitches, scratches and cuts but at least they walked off and they were alive,'' a relieved Mr Caldwell said last night.
The sixteen young people who returned on the bus were the lucky ones. Last night they were called to attend a de-briefing session in a local hotel where they relived the horror of their shopping trip to bereavement counsellors.
Said one of the counsellors afterwards: "From what they have said, it had to be horrific for them. Approximately twenty had stayed away from the town centre to have a picnic so they were safe. The others had gone into the town to partake in a carnival atmosphere. At the time they were led to believe there was a second bomb so they waited in fear for a considerable length of time,'' he said.
Contact has been made with all the Spanish families and it is expected that most if not all, will return home within the next few days.
Parish Priest Very Rev Joseph Carolan, who spent Saturday night in Omagh with the families of the bereaved and injured, said the town was devastated by the news.
"The biggest irony of all is that they were attending a peace carnival. There is no excuse at all for an atrocity like this and nothing can justify it.''
Local curate Father Shane Bradley, who also attended the scene in Omagh, said; "What does this say about Irish hospitality? It makes me feel guilty and all I can say is sorry.''
This is the tenth year of the Donegal Language Centre in Buncrana and for local people the Spanish students have become a feature of life during the summer months.
While the trip to Omagh was especially arranged for the Spanish students it had become common practice for their new-found Irish friends to join them.
Reacting to the tragedy, school tutor Pauline Caldwell said she was devastated. "I cannot believe it. I was sitting here worrying about correcting texts when I got the news. Fernando was an angel and Rocio, who had only just joined us, was the loveliest girl,'' she said at her Buncrana home yesterday.
Further Information
Publisher: IRISH INDEPENDENT
Ref: II/036
Published Date: 17-Aug-98
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