FATHER CALLS ON LEADERS FOR LASTING SOLUTION
Father calls on leaders for lasting solution
By Niall Blaney
AN OMAGH man yesterday called on Northern Ireland politicians to secure peace as his daughter lay in an intensive care ward fighting for her life.
Malachy Keys said he still backed the Good Friday agreement despite his daughter Donna Maria being caught up in Saturday's bomb.
Mr Keys appeared at a news conference at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital along with his wife Patricia and Spanish woman Helguero Puech whose daughter Beatrice is in the RVH's children's hospital.
Mr Keys said he hoped his daughter would recover and be able to return home.
He criticised certain sections of the media who had been "harassing" relatives of the dead and injured.
He said: "We have tried to keep the suffering that we are going through private, but unfortunately, some of you people behind those cameras are not letting us do that.
"We suffer with all the other families from Omagh. Each and every one of our families are suffering with the great pain of our loss and tragedy for God's sake please stop harrassing our families."
Mrs Puech reiterated that message in Spanish to several Spanish TV crews at the press conference.
Mr Keys praised hospital staff who had spent two hours stabilising his daughter before she was taken to the RVH.
He said: "The tunnel that we are going through has a light at the end of it, a glimmer. Each day the hospital staff have made that light a little bit brighter. Our hopes are getting better, we have a long hard road and we don't know where it is going to end."
The Omagh father said the downgrading of hospitals in Northern Ireland was an "absolute disgrace" that had to cease.
"If the Tyrone County Hospital had been closed which is obviously the intention then my daughter would not have survived getting to Enniskillen, Derry or whatever the next hospital was going to be.
"We are going through a hell here at the moment with our daughter.
I am not taking that away from any of the families who were touched at Omagh."
Mr Keys said he supported the Good Friday agreement and that his entire family had voted yes in the referendum.
By Niall Blaney
AN OMAGH man yesterday called on Northern Ireland politicians to secure peace as his daughter lay in an intensive care ward fighting for her life.
Malachy Keys said he still backed the Good Friday agreement despite his daughter Donna Maria being caught up in Saturday's bomb.
Mr Keys appeared at a news conference at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital along with his wife Patricia and Spanish woman Helguero Puech whose daughter Beatrice is in the RVH's children's hospital.
Mr Keys said he hoped his daughter would recover and be able to return home.
He criticised certain sections of the media who had been "harassing" relatives of the dead and injured.
He said: "We have tried to keep the suffering that we are going through private, but unfortunately, some of you people behind those cameras are not letting us do that.
"We suffer with all the other families from Omagh. Each and every one of our families are suffering with the great pain of our loss and tragedy for God's sake please stop harrassing our families."
Mrs Puech reiterated that message in Spanish to several Spanish TV crews at the press conference.
Mr Keys praised hospital staff who had spent two hours stabilising his daughter before she was taken to the RVH.
He said: "The tunnel that we are going through has a light at the end of it, a glimmer. Each day the hospital staff have made that light a little bit brighter. Our hopes are getting better, we have a long hard road and we don't know where it is going to end."
The Omagh father said the downgrading of hospitals in Northern Ireland was an "absolute disgrace" that had to cease.
"If the Tyrone County Hospital had been closed which is obviously the intention then my daughter would not have survived getting to Enniskillen, Derry or whatever the next hospital was going to be.
"We are going through a hell here at the moment with our daughter.
I am not taking that away from any of the families who were touched at Omagh."
Mr Keys said he supported the Good Friday agreement and that his entire family had voted yes in the referendum.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0677
Published Date: 18-Aug-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.