DISPUTE OVER BOMB MEMORIAL
Dispute over bomb memorial
A MEMORIAL sculpture erected in Omagh at the weekend to commemorate the victims of the 1998 bombing in the town was last night criticised by one of their relatives.
Laurence Rushe, whose wife Libby was killed by the blast, said he feared that the memorial would turn into a "tourist spectacle".
"I don't want it and I don't require it," he said.
"I already have my memorial in my children and grandchildren."
However, Omagh District Council vice-chair Josephine Deehan said the local authority felt it was important to mark the tragedy and to bring forward a "positive message of coming together".
"Ten years ago on August 15 our town suffered a major tragedy which affected our people very profoundly," the SDLP councillor said.
"A lot of thought and planning has gone into creating this memorial. We understand that not everyone is going to be in agreement with it but in our view it captures the message of hope and coming together that we set out to achieve."
A MEMORIAL sculpture erected in Omagh at the weekend to commemorate the victims of the 1998 bombing in the town was last night criticised by one of their relatives.
Laurence Rushe, whose wife Libby was killed by the blast, said he feared that the memorial would turn into a "tourist spectacle".
"I don't want it and I don't require it," he said.
"I already have my memorial in my children and grandchildren."
However, Omagh District Council vice-chair Josephine Deehan said the local authority felt it was important to mark the tragedy and to bring forward a "positive message of coming together".
"Ten years ago on August 15 our town suffered a major tragedy which affected our people very profoundly," the SDLP councillor said.
"A lot of thought and planning has gone into creating this memorial. We understand that not everyone is going to be in agreement with it but in our view it captures the message of hope and coming together that we set out to achieve."
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN10An/01
Published Date: 28-Jul-08
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