IN/0417

Grieving mother shares in family joy
By Nevin Farrell

CHRISSIE QUINN, who lost three children in an arson attack on her Ballymoney home eleven weeks ago, was yesterday sharing in the joy of new life.
Since the murder of sons Jason, Mark and Richard her grief has been eased by the arrival of three new babies- all boys - born to her sister and brother. The most recent additions were twins born to 29-year-old Chrissie's sister Katie (31). The double delight followed previous elation when her brother Frankie became a proud father. Frankie Quinn (28), from Rockview, Rasharkin, said the births were a source of hope for the family which had been devastated by the July 12 deaths. Its three boys gone and three brought back," the family spokesman said
Following the Ballymoney arson attack Chrissie Quinn moved to nearby Rasharkin but she is due to move to a new home beside Katie in the village of Killyrammer to help her sister with her new charges.
Chrissie is going to live beside her and give her a hand. The births are something good for Chrissie," said Mr Quinn.
He added that Chrissie's only surviving, son, Lee (13), who escaped the blaze because he was staying with his grandmother, has returned to his old school in recent days.
He re-started Ballymoney High School on Monday after the family originally thought of sending him to another location in a bid to help him escape the trauma his family experienced in the town.
Mr Quinn added: "He wanted to go back to Ballymoney High. We thought that if he went to another school, nobody would know him and a lot of people would be asking him different questions.
We thought he should go back to his own school to his own mates and it seems to be working out all right."
He said a specially commissioned portrait of the four boys had been purchased by Chrissie who would probably secure it in a prominent location in her new home when she moves in the next few weeks.
"A similar painting of the four boys together had been destroyed in the fire," said Mr Quinn.
He said Lee had lost most of his clothes in the fire and with the help of about £3,000 received through the post following the fire they were able to buy new clothes for the teenager.
He said they also received a large number of books of condolence and thousands of letters from around the world. Mr Quinn said his sister was continuing to experience a range of emotions since the tragedy. "She was spending a lot of time in her room and there were times when she would want to talk and others when she would just be crying"
He said the family would never come to terms with the triple deaths but that since the Omagh bomb, the media had moved on.
"We have become forgotten. In the month up to Omagh it was never off the TV and now you never see it."
He said the family was shocked by the scale of the Omagh bomb.
"There were a lot of children killed in Omagh as well," added Mr Quinn, who said the August 15 Omagh massacre re-opened his family's pain. It brought it all back to us especially when we saw the white coffins on the TV," said Mr Quinn.
He said that only around £8,000 was raised through a trust fund set up through a Ballymoney bank.
"My sister thought it was a lot of money but for the whole of Northern Ireland I don't think it was very much."
He said Chrissie, who is unemployed, was receiving around £70 income support per week for her and Lee.
Mr Quinn said his family was calling on Orangemen to stop their continued Drumcree protests.