LOCAL REACTION: HOW OMAGH'S NEWSPAPERS REACTED TO EVENTS OF LAST SATURDAY
Local reaction: how Omagh's newspapers reacted to the terrible events of last Saturday
Papers' personal coverage of national tragedy
By Tony Bailie
LAST night the bingo was cancelled in St Enda's GAC, according to an advertisement in the Ulster Herald.
Other ads in the Herald and its rival the Tyrone Constitution inform readers that Dunnes and Safeway will be closed on Saturday.
The two papers landed in newsagents throughout Omagh and Co Tyrone yesterday morning, their pages filled with pictures and stories of the bomb and its aftermath.
In a normal week a visit to a provincial town by Prince Charles, John Prescott or Mary McAleese would have made the headlines of the local press -but the two Omagh papers gave their front pages to remembering the dead.
Both publications are normally records of a week In the life of Omagh and Co Tyrone, but this week they are filled with headlines that have dominated the world's press.
But there is a sense in reading the two papers that the stories they carry are much more personal -other media outlets are reporting Saturday's bomb for a Northern Ireland, Irish, UK, European or world audience - these papers will be read by the relatives of the dead, and by the injured as they lie In hospital.
Small and occasionally surprising indications pepper both papers reinforcing the message that normal life has been suspended for the time being.
Among the testimonies of grief, recollections of the dead, fears for the injured and reactions from politicians, churchmen and people on the streets are panels advising people where to find help.
Both papers feature lists of telephone numbers for the Samaritans, Cruise and the Omagh Trauma Centre; and both have a half page advertisement from Omagh district council offering assistance and advise.
Poems are scattered among the pictures of the bomb blasted street, grieving relatives and visiting dignitaries; attempts to articulate the raw emotions felt in the wake of Saturday's bomb attack.
Papers' personal coverage of national tragedy
By Tony Bailie
LAST night the bingo was cancelled in St Enda's GAC, according to an advertisement in the Ulster Herald.
Other ads in the Herald and its rival the Tyrone Constitution inform readers that Dunnes and Safeway will be closed on Saturday.
The two papers landed in newsagents throughout Omagh and Co Tyrone yesterday morning, their pages filled with pictures and stories of the bomb and its aftermath.
In a normal week a visit to a provincial town by Prince Charles, John Prescott or Mary McAleese would have made the headlines of the local press -but the two Omagh papers gave their front pages to remembering the dead.
Both publications are normally records of a week In the life of Omagh and Co Tyrone, but this week they are filled with headlines that have dominated the world's press.
But there is a sense in reading the two papers that the stories they carry are much more personal -other media outlets are reporting Saturday's bomb for a Northern Ireland, Irish, UK, European or world audience - these papers will be read by the relatives of the dead, and by the injured as they lie In hospital.
Small and occasionally surprising indications pepper both papers reinforcing the message that normal life has been suspended for the time being.
Among the testimonies of grief, recollections of the dead, fears for the injured and reactions from politicians, churchmen and people on the streets are panels advising people where to find help.
Both papers feature lists of telephone numbers for the Samaritans, Cruise and the Omagh Trauma Centre; and both have a half page advertisement from Omagh district council offering assistance and advise.
Poems are scattered among the pictures of the bomb blasted street, grieving relatives and visiting dignitaries; attempts to articulate the raw emotions felt in the wake of Saturday's bomb attack.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0136
Published Date: 21-Aug-98
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