OMAGH FILM GIVES VOICE TO ALL VICTIMS
Omagh film gives voice to all victims
By RICHARD SHERRIFF
UNIQUE television portrait of two Omagh victims has given an insight into the past 30 years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
To be screened by the BBC on the anniversary of the bomb that killed 29 people and injured 350 others, Omagh - The Legacy tells the story of two children whose bodies were shattered by the bomb and their struggle to rebuild their lives after August 15 last year.
Filmed, written and produced by former BBC news reporter Iain Webster, the programme follows 16-year-old Claire Gallagher, blinded by shrapnel in the blast, and Stephen Coyle, an eight-year-old who lost his right shoulder.
To witness their courage and simple humanity is both a privilege and an education, but from the very first scenes the film, narrated by Liam Neeson, is far from easy viewing.
In one instance, Stephen jokes with nursing staff ahead of what finally became a dozen operations. In another, he sobs for his father to take him home.
With mind-boggling understatement, Claire admits the loss of her sight makes her feel "a bit annoyed at times".
Later Claire plays piano for President Clinton at the St Patrick's Day celebrations in Washington, while Stephen flies with the helicopter crew which took him to Belfast for emergency treatment.
At a preview yesterday the 50 minute documentary reduced a room full of journalists to tears as hey recalled events in the days after the Real IRA bomb, but as the inevitable glare of the media returns to the Co Tyrone town, the film's creator defended any idea that the attention would place further unwelcome pressure on the people concerned.
"It only came home to me when I heard Claire's father talking after the trip to America, when he said how Claire's experience had opened his eyes.
"He said she had become a symbol of not only the people of Omagh but of all the people of Northern Ireland who had suffered over the years.
"I think that's true and that that suffering should never be forgotten.
"I defy anybody not to become emotionally involved with two children who have had such a major trauma in their lives."
By RICHARD SHERRIFF
UNIQUE television portrait of two Omagh victims has given an insight into the past 30 years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
To be screened by the BBC on the anniversary of the bomb that killed 29 people and injured 350 others, Omagh - The Legacy tells the story of two children whose bodies were shattered by the bomb and their struggle to rebuild their lives after August 15 last year.
Filmed, written and produced by former BBC news reporter Iain Webster, the programme follows 16-year-old Claire Gallagher, blinded by shrapnel in the blast, and Stephen Coyle, an eight-year-old who lost his right shoulder.
To witness their courage and simple humanity is both a privilege and an education, but from the very first scenes the film, narrated by Liam Neeson, is far from easy viewing.
In one instance, Stephen jokes with nursing staff ahead of what finally became a dozen operations. In another, he sobs for his father to take him home.
With mind-boggling understatement, Claire admits the loss of her sight makes her feel "a bit annoyed at times".
Later Claire plays piano for President Clinton at the St Patrick's Day celebrations in Washington, while Stephen flies with the helicopter crew which took him to Belfast for emergency treatment.
At a preview yesterday the 50 minute documentary reduced a room full of journalists to tears as hey recalled events in the days after the Real IRA bomb, but as the inevitable glare of the media returns to the Co Tyrone town, the film's creator defended any idea that the attention would place further unwelcome pressure on the people concerned.
"It only came home to me when I heard Claire's father talking after the trip to America, when he said how Claire's experience had opened his eyes.
"He said she had become a symbol of not only the people of Omagh but of all the people of Northern Ireland who had suffered over the years.
"I think that's true and that that suffering should never be forgotten.
"I defy anybody not to become emotionally involved with two children who have had such a major trauma in their lives."
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/228
Published Date: 05-Aug-99
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