POIGNANT IMAGES OF SHATTERED LIVES
Poignant images of shattered lives
Treasured memories from photo studio files
THESE are the pictures which tell of a happy Omagh - the Omagh of local photographer Ed Winters.
But it was an Omagh ripped apart by evil bombers who tore his community asunder. When Ed arrived back in his photographic studio last week, it was to do work he prayed he'd never have to do. He was there to print up pictures of people killed, injured or mentally scarred by the bombing, to pass on to grieving relatives. Every picture tells a story, but surely none more heart-rending than those on this page.
Esther Gibson laughed and joked with her fiance, Kenneth Hawkes, in Ed's studio on the afternoon of Friday, August 14.
Sparkling
She had put on a little make-up and posed with her sparkling engagement ring. At the end of the photo-shoot, she asked Ed for a small picture of Kenneth for the locket she wore around her neck. Passing her a small pic, Ed told her: "He'll always be with you now." Esther laughed.
Twenty-four hours later she was dead - and the locket and picture were used to identify her remains amid the Omagh carnage.
"They were such a brilliant couple," said Ed.
"Esther was just full of the joys of life. They were both so happy and they confirmed the booking for July 29th next year, when they were due to get married on Esther's birthday. "A week later, I was at her funeral, giving Kenneth a copy of the engagement picture - it's just so hard to take in." Deborah-Ann Cartwright's smile greets everyone who enters Ed's studio - and will still to do so, despite her murder.
This picture was taken in May and chosen from a black-and-white contact sheet by Debbie.
"She was such a beautiful girl with such a beautiful smile," said Ed.
"Debbie and her mum had picked different pictures from the contact-sheet, but mum agreed with Debbie's choice."
After her funeral last week, Debbie's mum rang Ed with a simple request - to keep her picture up on the studio wall.
When Nichola and Adrian Donnelly planned their wedding, they did so meticulously.
They booked Ed two years ago for their big day on July 4 this year.
"It was the biggest day of their lives and they did it in style with more than 200 guests," said Ed.
Nichola, a former promotions girl with Guinness, was also caught in the blast, suffering severe shrapnel wounds.
Just seven weeks after their wedding, Adrian is maintaining a bedside vigil at the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen.
Said Ed: "Everyone is praying and hoping that Nichola and all those injured have a speedy recovery."
Joining the prayers is local-boy-made-good Dominic Kirwan, another studio visitor. "This is the positive Omagh," said the photographer.
"So many lives have been ruined, but we want to tell people all over the world that this has always been a quiet close-knit community - and it will be again."
Treasured memories from photo studio files
THESE are the pictures which tell of a happy Omagh - the Omagh of local photographer Ed Winters.
But it was an Omagh ripped apart by evil bombers who tore his community asunder. When Ed arrived back in his photographic studio last week, it was to do work he prayed he'd never have to do. He was there to print up pictures of people killed, injured or mentally scarred by the bombing, to pass on to grieving relatives. Every picture tells a story, but surely none more heart-rending than those on this page.
Esther Gibson laughed and joked with her fiance, Kenneth Hawkes, in Ed's studio on the afternoon of Friday, August 14.
Sparkling
She had put on a little make-up and posed with her sparkling engagement ring. At the end of the photo-shoot, she asked Ed for a small picture of Kenneth for the locket she wore around her neck. Passing her a small pic, Ed told her: "He'll always be with you now." Esther laughed.
Twenty-four hours later she was dead - and the locket and picture were used to identify her remains amid the Omagh carnage.
"They were such a brilliant couple," said Ed.
"Esther was just full of the joys of life. They were both so happy and they confirmed the booking for July 29th next year, when they were due to get married on Esther's birthday. "A week later, I was at her funeral, giving Kenneth a copy of the engagement picture - it's just so hard to take in." Deborah-Ann Cartwright's smile greets everyone who enters Ed's studio - and will still to do so, despite her murder.
This picture was taken in May and chosen from a black-and-white contact sheet by Debbie.
"She was such a beautiful girl with such a beautiful smile," said Ed.
"Debbie and her mum had picked different pictures from the contact-sheet, but mum agreed with Debbie's choice."
After her funeral last week, Debbie's mum rang Ed with a simple request - to keep her picture up on the studio wall.
When Nichola and Adrian Donnelly planned their wedding, they did so meticulously.
They booked Ed two years ago for their big day on July 4 this year.
"It was the biggest day of their lives and they did it in style with more than 200 guests," said Ed.
Nichola, a former promotions girl with Guinness, was also caught in the blast, suffering severe shrapnel wounds.
Just seven weeks after their wedding, Adrian is maintaining a bedside vigil at the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen.
Said Ed: "Everyone is praying and hoping that Nichola and all those injured have a speedy recovery."
Joining the prayers is local-boy-made-good Dominic Kirwan, another studio visitor. "This is the positive Omagh," said the photographer.
"So many lives have been ruined, but we want to tell people all over the world that this has always been a quiet close-knit community - and it will be again."
Further Information
Publisher: SUNDAY LIFE
Ref: SL/046
Published Date: 23-Aug-98
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