VIGIL ANGER OVER BOMB LINK
Vigil anger over bomb link
HUNDREDS of people protesting at the Omagh bomb last night held a vigil in the centre of a Co Louth village.
About 400 men, women and children gathered in Blackrock, near Dundalk, to show their solidarity with the Omagh victims and relatives and to express anger that their seaside town has been linked to the massacre.
It had been expected they would march to the home of Michael McKevitt and his partner Bernadette Sands McKevitt who is vice-chairwoman of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has repeatedly linked the organisation to the Real IRA or Oglaigh na hEireann -the group which claimed responsibility
for Saturday's bomb attack which killed. 28 people.
But in the event, those taking part in the 30-minute vigil said they did not want to "resort to vigilantism" and they settled for a silent show of solidarity on the seafront.
A spokeswoman for the vigil, who wanted to be known only as Una, said people in the area were upset at being associated with the bombing.
One woman said she was "afraid it was going to be a flop but I'm happy so many people turned out to show their solidarity with the victims in Omagh".
"The best thing about the vigil was the large number of women, children and families who were there. Most people in Dundalk are disgusted that the town's name has been dragged through the mud because of the bomb."
A Dundalk mother said: "We just wanted to show that the vast majority of people in Dundalk were horrified at the bomb.
"I was glad that it was a prayer vigil and nothing more - nobody has been convicted of anything."
Another woman, who also did not want to be named, added: "We just wanted to show our solidarity with the people of Omagh. I don't have words to describe the people who did this. The people of Dundalk don't want this, all we want is peace and we want people to know that."
HUNDREDS of people protesting at the Omagh bomb last night held a vigil in the centre of a Co Louth village.
About 400 men, women and children gathered in Blackrock, near Dundalk, to show their solidarity with the Omagh victims and relatives and to express anger that their seaside town has been linked to the massacre.
It had been expected they would march to the home of Michael McKevitt and his partner Bernadette Sands McKevitt who is vice-chairwoman of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has repeatedly linked the organisation to the Real IRA or Oglaigh na hEireann -the group which claimed responsibility
for Saturday's bomb attack which killed. 28 people.
But in the event, those taking part in the 30-minute vigil said they did not want to "resort to vigilantism" and they settled for a silent show of solidarity on the seafront.
A spokeswoman for the vigil, who wanted to be known only as Una, said people in the area were upset at being associated with the bombing.
One woman said she was "afraid it was going to be a flop but I'm happy so many people turned out to show their solidarity with the victims in Omagh".
"The best thing about the vigil was the large number of women, children and families who were there. Most people in Dundalk are disgusted that the town's name has been dragged through the mud because of the bomb."
A Dundalk mother said: "We just wanted to show that the vast majority of people in Dundalk were horrified at the bomb.
"I was glad that it was a prayer vigil and nothing more - nobody has been convicted of anything."
Another woman, who also did not want to be named, added: "We just wanted to show our solidarity with the people of Omagh. I don't have words to describe the people who did this. The people of Dundalk don't want this, all we want is peace and we want people to know that."
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0098
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
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