THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
The road to recovery
DRAWING conclusions from so unforgettable a tragedy as Omagh is in itself a difficult operation. It involves logical assessment and analysis in place of the universal grief and compassion so widely felt and expressed over the past nine days. And it has to be borne in mind that for many people the process of recovery stretches far into the future and may, for some of the injured, never be reached at all. Our compassion goes out to them, even as we try to draw some of the political and security conclusions, and assess what the future holds for the wider Irish community, both on this island and internationally.
That definition is itself a starting point. As has emerged in recent days, the association between those responsible for the bomb and the more extreme Irish republicans in the United States is clear-cut and ominous. And an obvious first lesson to be drawn from this is that there should be a more rigorous and dynamic confrontation of the glib beliefs current among too many Irish in America that a physical force solution is still worth trying.
Those who rely on them for support, and travel to the United States for fund-raising purposes, and in order to sustain and augment the climate of hatred which lies behind Irish terrorist groups, are correctly being blocked by the United States, and this process should be reinforced by better intelligence co-operation.
We already have the promise of stern measures from the Government in Dublin. Now we have the added promises from Tony Blair, back from holiday, and en route to Belfast tomorrow, where it is clear he will make announcements of parallel legislative measures to be introduced in Britain.
It is now being widely claimed that Omagh has acted as some kind of refining fire for the peace process. The first impact of that terrible bomb seemed to many to place everything that had been worked for in jeopardy. But as it echoed and re-echoed around the world, as it was assessed and felt in all its tragic anguish and pain, as it was judged and rejected with all the fury and disdain it deserved as a callous and terrible act, grains of hope and reassurance were gathered up. The political will, so strongly expressed in favour of the Good Friday Agreement, found reassurance from odd reactions and events.
These included the solidarity evident between the Taoiseach and the North's First Minister, as well as his Deputy, and the condemnation of the attack by Gerry Adams. Overwhelmingly, from all corners which contain people sympathetic to Ireland's precarious future, there came encouraging signs of hope rather than despair. And the past nine days, in the midst of great grief, have brought forward a spirit of recovery. This was widely expressed on Saturday in so many places in which the minutes of silence, and the periods of prayer, were observed.
The determination that there will be no further setbacks, and that a permanent climate of peace will attend the difficult struggle which lies ahead in Northern Ireland itself, has become stronger in recent days. It still has its enemies. And they still control armaments and ideologies which are frightening. But democratic society north and south of the Border has never been so committed to the opportunities for change which have been created, and which were so grossly threatened by the irresponsible act of Omagh's bombers.
Calmness, strength of purpose, a sense of unity, will be required in the days ahead. The healing will take much longer. But political judgment and a careful reading of the lessons of the past nine days will help in that process, and direct us towards a more universal peace than we have enjoyed for many years.
DRAWING conclusions from so unforgettable a tragedy as Omagh is in itself a difficult operation. It involves logical assessment and analysis in place of the universal grief and compassion so widely felt and expressed over the past nine days. And it has to be borne in mind that for many people the process of recovery stretches far into the future and may, for some of the injured, never be reached at all. Our compassion goes out to them, even as we try to draw some of the political and security conclusions, and assess what the future holds for the wider Irish community, both on this island and internationally.
That definition is itself a starting point. As has emerged in recent days, the association between those responsible for the bomb and the more extreme Irish republicans in the United States is clear-cut and ominous. And an obvious first lesson to be drawn from this is that there should be a more rigorous and dynamic confrontation of the glib beliefs current among too many Irish in America that a physical force solution is still worth trying.
Those who rely on them for support, and travel to the United States for fund-raising purposes, and in order to sustain and augment the climate of hatred which lies behind Irish terrorist groups, are correctly being blocked by the United States, and this process should be reinforced by better intelligence co-operation.
We already have the promise of stern measures from the Government in Dublin. Now we have the added promises from Tony Blair, back from holiday, and en route to Belfast tomorrow, where it is clear he will make announcements of parallel legislative measures to be introduced in Britain.
It is now being widely claimed that Omagh has acted as some kind of refining fire for the peace process. The first impact of that terrible bomb seemed to many to place everything that had been worked for in jeopardy. But as it echoed and re-echoed around the world, as it was assessed and felt in all its tragic anguish and pain, as it was judged and rejected with all the fury and disdain it deserved as a callous and terrible act, grains of hope and reassurance were gathered up. The political will, so strongly expressed in favour of the Good Friday Agreement, found reassurance from odd reactions and events.
These included the solidarity evident between the Taoiseach and the North's First Minister, as well as his Deputy, and the condemnation of the attack by Gerry Adams. Overwhelmingly, from all corners which contain people sympathetic to Ireland's precarious future, there came encouraging signs of hope rather than despair. And the past nine days, in the midst of great grief, have brought forward a spirit of recovery. This was widely expressed on Saturday in so many places in which the minutes of silence, and the periods of prayer, were observed.
The determination that there will be no further setbacks, and that a permanent climate of peace will attend the difficult struggle which lies ahead in Northern Ireland itself, has become stronger in recent days. It still has its enemies. And they still control armaments and ideologies which are frightening. But democratic society north and south of the Border has never been so committed to the opportunities for change which have been created, and which were so grossly threatened by the irresponsible act of Omagh's bombers.
Calmness, strength of purpose, a sense of unity, will be required in the days ahead. The healing will take much longer. But political judgment and a careful reading of the lessons of the past nine days will help in that process, and direct us towards a more universal peace than we have enjoyed for many years.
Further Information
Publisher: IRISH INDEPENDENT
Ref: II/103
Published Date: 24-Aug-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.