BOYS BACK IN TOWN WITH A SONG OF HOPE
Boys back in town with a song of hope
By RICHARD SHERRIFF
IT was the best start to the New Year a teenager could have wished for as pop heart-throbs Boyzone twice took to the stage in Omagh on Saturday.
Just five months after the bomb attack on the town, the special tribute concert brought smiles to the faces of 1,000 youngsters, many of whom were caught up in the horrific blast of August 15.
But on Saturday, the pain and suffering were forgotten as the stars packed the town's leisure centre and performed their best-known songs in two hour-long concerts.
Afterwards, the boys met some of the victims of the blast, many of them still bearing the scars of the bombing.
They signed autographs and chatted to more than a dozen young fans, some of them in wheelchairs who had lost limbs and others who had been badly burned in the attack.
Lead singer Ronan Keating said: "To be greeted like this here is wonderful. We're just glad to be here to do what we can to help. The response when we went out on stage was phenomenal."
The band were on tour in Europe when they heard of the bombing and said they had wanted to do something to help as soon as they could.
"We couldn't believe it. It was devastating," said singer Keith Duffy. "But we were so busy at the time we didn't get a chance to send our love."
Ronan told the young audience: "I don't need to go into the reason why we are here. We are here to have a good time, isn't that right?"
But it was all too much for some of the young fans who had to be taken to a first aid room to recover.
The event was welcomed as a major boost for the town and the youngsters were clearly delighted at meeting their idols.
"It was excellent," said Una McGurk, 14, who was injured in the blast.
"It was great for them to come all this way to do a concert for us.
"It's been the talk of the town for ages. Everyone's been looking forward to it since Christmas. It's a great start to the New Year. Let's hope 1999 is a better year than 1998."
By RICHARD SHERRIFF
IT was the best start to the New Year a teenager could have wished for as pop heart-throbs Boyzone twice took to the stage in Omagh on Saturday.
Just five months after the bomb attack on the town, the special tribute concert brought smiles to the faces of 1,000 youngsters, many of whom were caught up in the horrific blast of August 15.
But on Saturday, the pain and suffering were forgotten as the stars packed the town's leisure centre and performed their best-known songs in two hour-long concerts.
Afterwards, the boys met some of the victims of the blast, many of them still bearing the scars of the bombing.
They signed autographs and chatted to more than a dozen young fans, some of them in wheelchairs who had lost limbs and others who had been badly burned in the attack.
Lead singer Ronan Keating said: "To be greeted like this here is wonderful. We're just glad to be here to do what we can to help. The response when we went out on stage was phenomenal."
The band were on tour in Europe when they heard of the bombing and said they had wanted to do something to help as soon as they could.
"We couldn't believe it. It was devastating," said singer Keith Duffy. "But we were so busy at the time we didn't get a chance to send our love."
Ronan told the young audience: "I don't need to go into the reason why we are here. We are here to have a good time, isn't that right?"
But it was all too much for some of the young fans who had to be taken to a first aid room to recover.
The event was welcomed as a major boost for the town and the youngsters were clearly delighted at meeting their idols.
"It was excellent," said Una McGurk, 14, who was injured in the blast.
"It was great for them to come all this way to do a concert for us.
"It's been the talk of the town for ages. Everyone's been looking forward to it since Christmas. It's a great start to the New Year. Let's hope 1999 is a better year than 1998."
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/171
Published Date: 04-Jan-99
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