FILLING UP WITH KINDNESS AFTER OMAGH
Filling up with kindness after Omagh
WHILE sitting in Altnagelvin Hospital after the Omagh bomb, waiting anxiously for news of a critically-ill friend, I was struck by the offers of help given by the local people, accommodation, use of cars, food, money etc.
While these people wish to remain anonymous I think it is important to highlight an incident which happened on one of my return journeys to Omagh from the hospital in the early hours of the morning.
On reaching Strabane I realised my petrol supply was dangerously low and there was little chance of making it to Omagh. I couldn't find a 24-hour petrol station anywhere and asked a taxi driver in Strabane if he could direct us to one.
Being a lady driver I waited on a sarcastic comment along the lines of "Would it not have been a good idea to put petrol in the car on the way to the hospital instead of at 1.30 in the morning?"
However the taxi driver immediately rang his boss who arrived in two minutes and led us to a Mr Kelly's filling station.
If I hadn't the grace to feel embarrassed at that point, I certainly felt embarrassed when I saw the lengthy procedure necessary to open a petrol station in the middle of the night.
After filling the car with petrol, Mr Kelly refused to accept not only the tip I was offering but any payment whatsoever for the petrol.
Instead he spent 10 minutes talking to us about the patients we were visiting and after shaking hands with the son of the critically-ill patient, he wished us a safe journey home.
This man's actions typify the feelings of the majority of Irish people, not just the people who live in Omagh.
We feel helpless and desperate to do anything, no matter how small to ease the burden of those affected by the bomb.
This special bond between Irish people will be broken by no paramilitary organisation.
If any good is to come out of the Omagh bombing perhaps it will be this message sinking into the sick minds of the people involved in these organisations.
Could I finally make an appeal to Omagh people like myself who often travel through Strabane to Lifford to benefit from the cheaper petrol across the border?
Occasionally stop off at Melmount filling station instead ... sometimes an act of kindness is more important than saving money.
Mary Grugan Omagh
WHILE sitting in Altnagelvin Hospital after the Omagh bomb, waiting anxiously for news of a critically-ill friend, I was struck by the offers of help given by the local people, accommodation, use of cars, food, money etc.
While these people wish to remain anonymous I think it is important to highlight an incident which happened on one of my return journeys to Omagh from the hospital in the early hours of the morning.
On reaching Strabane I realised my petrol supply was dangerously low and there was little chance of making it to Omagh. I couldn't find a 24-hour petrol station anywhere and asked a taxi driver in Strabane if he could direct us to one.
Being a lady driver I waited on a sarcastic comment along the lines of "Would it not have been a good idea to put petrol in the car on the way to the hospital instead of at 1.30 in the morning?"
However the taxi driver immediately rang his boss who arrived in two minutes and led us to a Mr Kelly's filling station.
If I hadn't the grace to feel embarrassed at that point, I certainly felt embarrassed when I saw the lengthy procedure necessary to open a petrol station in the middle of the night.
After filling the car with petrol, Mr Kelly refused to accept not only the tip I was offering but any payment whatsoever for the petrol.
Instead he spent 10 minutes talking to us about the patients we were visiting and after shaking hands with the son of the critically-ill patient, he wished us a safe journey home.
This man's actions typify the feelings of the majority of Irish people, not just the people who live in Omagh.
We feel helpless and desperate to do anything, no matter how small to ease the burden of those affected by the bomb.
This special bond between Irish people will be broken by no paramilitary organisation.
If any good is to come out of the Omagh bombing perhaps it will be this message sinking into the sick minds of the people involved in these organisations.
Could I finally make an appeal to Omagh people like myself who often travel through Strabane to Lifford to benefit from the cheaper petrol across the border?
Occasionally stop off at Melmount filling station instead ... sometimes an act of kindness is more important than saving money.
Mary Grugan Omagh
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0351
Published Date: 02-Sep-98
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