SMALL DONEGAL TOWN MOURNS ITS MURDERED INNOCENTS
Small Donegal town mourns its murdered innocents
By Ciaran McGuigan
THE small Donegal town that lost three of its youngest residents in Omagh was still in shock yesterday.
People tried to go about their daily business in Buncrana but for many it was impossible to disguise the loss they have suffered.
Outside the school that Oran Doherty and Sean McLaughlin attended, the tricolour flew at half mast.
As people patiently queued - some unable to fight back tears - to sign the book of condolence they filed past a poster on the wall bearing the poignant slogan: "What is worth most is sometimes valued the least."
And less than a mile away in Knockalla Drive two young families tried to come to terms with the death of two young children.
In the corner of the front room in the Doherty house lay the body of eight-year-old Oran. The child's angelic face looks up from the coffin,
his body draped in the football shirt of his beloved Celtic FC.
And on the wall above the coffin hangs a picture of the young boy's footballing heroes.
As people trickle into the house to offer their condolences Oran's father maintains his vigil beside his son's coffin.
At his feet two ashtrays - one full of extinguished cigarettes, the other with the cigarettes still to be smoked - as he tries to come to terms with the brutal murder of his young son.
And only four doors away Sean McLaughlin's family mourn the loss of another young life.
In the coffin beside his young body is a framed photograph of 12-year-old Sean, the youngster's face beaming as he is flanked by singer Daniel O'Donnell and Irish President Mary McAleese.
Two miles away these terrible scenes are repeated at the home of James Barker.
And on Main Street there is a subdued atmosphere. Idle chatter between shoppers has given way to hushed utterances of shock.
Today the people of Buncrana will bury their dead - three young boys callously cut down while enjoying ;a day out. It is hard to imagine that the bustling little town will recover from its loss.
By Ciaran McGuigan
THE small Donegal town that lost three of its youngest residents in Omagh was still in shock yesterday.
People tried to go about their daily business in Buncrana but for many it was impossible to disguise the loss they have suffered.
Outside the school that Oran Doherty and Sean McLaughlin attended, the tricolour flew at half mast.
As people patiently queued - some unable to fight back tears - to sign the book of condolence they filed past a poster on the wall bearing the poignant slogan: "What is worth most is sometimes valued the least."
And less than a mile away in Knockalla Drive two young families tried to come to terms with the death of two young children.
In the corner of the front room in the Doherty house lay the body of eight-year-old Oran. The child's angelic face looks up from the coffin,
his body draped in the football shirt of his beloved Celtic FC.
And on the wall above the coffin hangs a picture of the young boy's footballing heroes.
As people trickle into the house to offer their condolences Oran's father maintains his vigil beside his son's coffin.
At his feet two ashtrays - one full of extinguished cigarettes, the other with the cigarettes still to be smoked - as he tries to come to terms with the brutal murder of his young son.
And only four doors away Sean McLaughlin's family mourn the loss of another young life.
In the coffin beside his young body is a framed photograph of 12-year-old Sean, the youngster's face beaming as he is flanked by singer Daniel O'Donnell and Irish President Mary McAleese.
Two miles away these terrible scenes are repeated at the home of James Barker.
And on Main Street there is a subdued atmosphere. Idle chatter between shoppers has given way to hushed utterances of shock.
Today the people of Buncrana will bury their dead - three young boys callously cut down while enjoying ;a day out. It is hard to imagine that the bustling little town will recover from its loss.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0054
Published Date: 19-Aug-98
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