CHILDREN MOURN TOO BY CANDLELIGHT
Children mourn too by candlelight
By MARTINA DEVLIN
THEY came in their thousands, pushing prams, carrying toddlers, leading children by the hand. Omagh mourned as a community last night with a candlelit vigil for the bomb victims.
Families in their generations bowed their heads for a minute's silence and joined in a 10-minute service at which the names of all the dead were read out.
Children did not understand why they were there but parents felt obliged to bring them. Holding her candle at the front was seven-years-old Aideen Daly who said; "I came here to see the people who died." Her mother explained gently that she was only there to pray for them and the child smiled. But the lack of comprehension didn't matter, said Fr Donal Gillespie, an Omagh-born priest home from his South Wales parish who worked all through Saturday night and Sunday morning giving the Last Rites to people caught up in the explosion. Community worker Monica Coyle said: "Everybody has been hurt by this bomb. It affects all of us, and this is one way of showing we want to do something about it."
The hymns were led by Omagh-born entertainer Dominic Kirwan who said the town was in a state of shock and the 7,000 turn-out at short notice spoke volumes.
By MARTINA DEVLIN
THEY came in their thousands, pushing prams, carrying toddlers, leading children by the hand. Omagh mourned as a community last night with a candlelit vigil for the bomb victims.
Families in their generations bowed their heads for a minute's silence and joined in a 10-minute service at which the names of all the dead were read out.
Children did not understand why they were there but parents felt obliged to bring them. Holding her candle at the front was seven-years-old Aideen Daly who said; "I came here to see the people who died." Her mother explained gently that she was only there to pray for them and the child smiled. But the lack of comprehension didn't matter, said Fr Donal Gillespie, an Omagh-born priest home from his South Wales parish who worked all through Saturday night and Sunday morning giving the Last Rites to people caught up in the explosion. Community worker Monica Coyle said: "Everybody has been hurt by this bomb. It affects all of us, and this is one way of showing we want to do something about it."
The hymns were led by Omagh-born entertainer Dominic Kirwan who said the town was in a state of shock and the 7,000 turn-out at short notice spoke volumes.
Further Information
Publisher: IRISH INDEPENDENT
Ref: II/196
Published Date: 19-Aug-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.