A MOMENT OF PERFECT PEACE AS A NATION STOPS TO PRAY
A moment of perfect peace as a nation stops to pray
By ANNEMARIA McENEANEY
THE country will fall silent today in remembrance and in sorrow for those killed and injured at Omagh.
In the biggest outpouring of grief in the 30 years of the Troubles, thousands of people are expected to observe a minute's silence at 3.10pm, exactly a week after the devastating bomb which killed 28 people and injured hundreds more in the Co Tyrone town.
Churches across the country are holding ecumenical services, and prayers will be said in many other venues including shopping centres and at sporting fixtures, as the nation strives to show solidarity with those bereaved and hurt.
For the first time ever, the GAA is holding an ecumenical service at Croke Park, before the start of the All-Ireland hurling semi-final between Clare and Offaly.
And each victim of the 500lb car bomb will be poignantly remembered at a Mass in Dublin's Pro-Cathedral where a roll-call of the dead will be read by a child, teenager and adult, reflecting the indiscriminate nature of the massacre.
The main service is in Omagh where Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, President Mary McAleese, and Fine Gael leader John Bruton will join with the four main Church leaders for an Act of Prayerful Reflection in front of the courthouse.
Up to 20,000 people are expected in Omagh for the televised service, which begins at 2.45pm. It will be concelebrated by Catholic Archbishop Sean Brady, Church of Ireland Archbishop Robin Eames, Reverend David Kerr of the Methodist Church and Presbyterian Moderator Reverend John Dixon.
In virtually every other major city and town, both north and south, special acts of remembrance have also been organised. Union leaders and youth groups have reiterated the call for a minute's silence requested by the Churches.
In Buncrana, the home of three of the victims, including the youngest, eight-year-old Oran Doherty, an ecumenical service is being held in Market Square, ending with a minute's silence at 3.10pm.
In Galway, Cork, Armagh, Derry and Enniskillen outdoor ecumenical services and services of public reflection in the city centres will coincide with the minute's silence, while in Belfast and Limerick, the main cathedrals will host their own services.
At the Glencree Centre for Reconciliation in Co Wicklow, an open-air prayer service will also be held.
Bells of Catholic churches throughout the Archdiocese of Dublin will toll at 3.10pm in remembrance of the victims, and to facilitate those working to mark the minute's silence.
Meanwhile in Dundalk, Co Louth, a mass peace rally is being held to express support for the peace process in the wake of the Omagh bombings. The border town has been the focus of attention because members of the dissident 32-County Sovereignty Committee live there.
In Dublin's Pro-Cathedral, 28 people, each representing one of the Omagh dead, will light a candle in front of a photo-montage of the victims, before the poignant roll-call of their names in order of increasing age. Archbishop Desmond Connell will be presented with books of condolence, including two from prisoners at Arbour Hill.
Christchurch Cathedral is also holding an act of commemoration at 3pm. Tomorrow President McAleese will read the Gospel at a memorial service in St Patrick's Cathedral to be attended by Spanish Ambassador Jose Maria Sanz-Pastor and members of Omagh District Council.
The prayers will be led by Michelle O'Brien, whose mother was killed in the Dublin bombing of 1974 when Michelle was just eight years old.
Of the 78 maimed and injured survivors still recovering in hospital, eight are in a critical condition. Some have lost limbs.
Part of Omagh has now been reopened and traders are being called to a meeting on Monday to begin the rebuilding process. Among the offers of help is one from Manchester, which was devastated by an IRA bomb.
Floral tributes continue to pile up on the Strule Bridge and outside the town centre shops where many of the victims worked or were shopping when the deadly bomb exploded.
A special Omagh Disaster Fund has been set up by RTE following requests from listeners to help the injured and bereaved and to help the town rebuild its life. The account number at the Donnybrook Bank of Ireland is 40000777. The monies collected will be handed over in September.
A website in RTE has collected more than 7,000 signatures and expressions of condolence from Internet users worldwide following the bombing.
By ANNEMARIA McENEANEY
THE country will fall silent today in remembrance and in sorrow for those killed and injured at Omagh.
In the biggest outpouring of grief in the 30 years of the Troubles, thousands of people are expected to observe a minute's silence at 3.10pm, exactly a week after the devastating bomb which killed 28 people and injured hundreds more in the Co Tyrone town.
Churches across the country are holding ecumenical services, and prayers will be said in many other venues including shopping centres and at sporting fixtures, as the nation strives to show solidarity with those bereaved and hurt.
For the first time ever, the GAA is holding an ecumenical service at Croke Park, before the start of the All-Ireland hurling semi-final between Clare and Offaly.
And each victim of the 500lb car bomb will be poignantly remembered at a Mass in Dublin's Pro-Cathedral where a roll-call of the dead will be read by a child, teenager and adult, reflecting the indiscriminate nature of the massacre.
The main service is in Omagh where Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, President Mary McAleese, and Fine Gael leader John Bruton will join with the four main Church leaders for an Act of Prayerful Reflection in front of the courthouse.
Up to 20,000 people are expected in Omagh for the televised service, which begins at 2.45pm. It will be concelebrated by Catholic Archbishop Sean Brady, Church of Ireland Archbishop Robin Eames, Reverend David Kerr of the Methodist Church and Presbyterian Moderator Reverend John Dixon.
In virtually every other major city and town, both north and south, special acts of remembrance have also been organised. Union leaders and youth groups have reiterated the call for a minute's silence requested by the Churches.
In Buncrana, the home of three of the victims, including the youngest, eight-year-old Oran Doherty, an ecumenical service is being held in Market Square, ending with a minute's silence at 3.10pm.
In Galway, Cork, Armagh, Derry and Enniskillen outdoor ecumenical services and services of public reflection in the city centres will coincide with the minute's silence, while in Belfast and Limerick, the main cathedrals will host their own services.
At the Glencree Centre for Reconciliation in Co Wicklow, an open-air prayer service will also be held.
Bells of Catholic churches throughout the Archdiocese of Dublin will toll at 3.10pm in remembrance of the victims, and to facilitate those working to mark the minute's silence.
Meanwhile in Dundalk, Co Louth, a mass peace rally is being held to express support for the peace process in the wake of the Omagh bombings. The border town has been the focus of attention because members of the dissident 32-County Sovereignty Committee live there.
In Dublin's Pro-Cathedral, 28 people, each representing one of the Omagh dead, will light a candle in front of a photo-montage of the victims, before the poignant roll-call of their names in order of increasing age. Archbishop Desmond Connell will be presented with books of condolence, including two from prisoners at Arbour Hill.
Christchurch Cathedral is also holding an act of commemoration at 3pm. Tomorrow President McAleese will read the Gospel at a memorial service in St Patrick's Cathedral to be attended by Spanish Ambassador Jose Maria Sanz-Pastor and members of Omagh District Council.
The prayers will be led by Michelle O'Brien, whose mother was killed in the Dublin bombing of 1974 when Michelle was just eight years old.
Of the 78 maimed and injured survivors still recovering in hospital, eight are in a critical condition. Some have lost limbs.
Part of Omagh has now been reopened and traders are being called to a meeting on Monday to begin the rebuilding process. Among the offers of help is one from Manchester, which was devastated by an IRA bomb.
Floral tributes continue to pile up on the Strule Bridge and outside the town centre shops where many of the victims worked or were shopping when the deadly bomb exploded.
A special Omagh Disaster Fund has been set up by RTE following requests from listeners to help the injured and bereaved and to help the town rebuild its life. The account number at the Donnybrook Bank of Ireland is 40000777. The monies collected will be handed over in September.
A website in RTE has collected more than 7,000 signatures and expressions of condolence from Internet users worldwide following the bombing.
Further Information
Publisher: IRISH INDEPENDENT
Ref: II/096
Published Date: 22-Aug-98
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