NO LONGER WAS IT KOZY CORNER
NO LONGER WAS IT KOZY CORNER
A YOUNG man working in the Kozy Corner at Market Street that it was a miracle he and 16 customers had got out of the public house with only very minor injuries.
Eighteen-year-old student Damian Maguire, was helping out behind the bar of his father's pub, which was destroyed in the blast.
People in the pub were aware that there was a bomb scare but they really thought it was another hoax, explained Mr. Maguire.
"I saw Samantha McFarland standing outside and I was going to go and get her and tell her to come in, but then two men came in," he said.
He said he was pulling a pint for one of the men when the blast went off.
"It was a deafening sound. We were all shocked and dazed. Bottles and glasses on shelves just came in around my head and shoulders and my feet.
"The front of the building was blown in and the drop ceiling had come down to about six feet from the floor. The side door had been blown off its hinges, and some of us crept towards it," he said.
One of the Kozy regular customers, an elderly gentleman, was helped out by Mr. Maguire.
"He was in a bad way. He was very shocked, dazed and obviously terrified," he continued.
He added that outside the bar the water main had burst and there was a girl lying in the rubble. He learned later that she had died on her way to hospital.
"Five young fellas who had been in the pub could not be seen, so I returned to look for them, but the pub was empty," he added.
He said that at the time he was badly shocked and dazed, and it was impossible to take in all that was going on.
"I heard of a friend who was supposed to be in one of the shops opposite the pub, I was running around looking to see if I could find her. There were other bodies lying on the streets. I began to lose control a little at this stage," he added.
Mr. Maguire said it was a miracle that all the people in the bar at the time had escaped with only minor injuries.
He received a few cuts and bruises. Some of the cuts were stitched up when he went to the Leisure Centre on Saturday evening.
He said he was very sad to learn of Miss McFarland's death. While none of his relations had suffered tragically, he knew a lot of the other people who had either been killed or injured.
"It was a terrible thing to happen. With the peace and all that had been ongoing nobody really believed there was a bomb in the town. It is all so hard to take in," he said.
The teenager's mother, Marion, said the family were counting themselves very lucky that Damian had not been seriously hurt.
"He was one of the lucky ones, but there were so many who have been killed and seriously injured. It was just terrible," she added.
A YOUNG man working in the Kozy Corner at Market Street that it was a miracle he and 16 customers had got out of the public house with only very minor injuries.
Eighteen-year-old student Damian Maguire, was helping out behind the bar of his father's pub, which was destroyed in the blast.
People in the pub were aware that there was a bomb scare but they really thought it was another hoax, explained Mr. Maguire.
"I saw Samantha McFarland standing outside and I was going to go and get her and tell her to come in, but then two men came in," he said.
He said he was pulling a pint for one of the men when the blast went off.
"It was a deafening sound. We were all shocked and dazed. Bottles and glasses on shelves just came in around my head and shoulders and my feet.
"The front of the building was blown in and the drop ceiling had come down to about six feet from the floor. The side door had been blown off its hinges, and some of us crept towards it," he said.
One of the Kozy regular customers, an elderly gentleman, was helped out by Mr. Maguire.
"He was in a bad way. He was very shocked, dazed and obviously terrified," he continued.
He added that outside the bar the water main had burst and there was a girl lying in the rubble. He learned later that she had died on her way to hospital.
"Five young fellas who had been in the pub could not be seen, so I returned to look for them, but the pub was empty," he added.
He said that at the time he was badly shocked and dazed, and it was impossible to take in all that was going on.
"I heard of a friend who was supposed to be in one of the shops opposite the pub, I was running around looking to see if I could find her. There were other bodies lying on the streets. I began to lose control a little at this stage," he added.
Mr. Maguire said it was a miracle that all the people in the bar at the time had escaped with only minor injuries.
He received a few cuts and bruises. Some of the cuts were stitched up when he went to the Leisure Centre on Saturday evening.
He said he was very sad to learn of Miss McFarland's death. While none of his relations had suffered tragically, he knew a lot of the other people who had either been killed or injured.
"It was a terrible thing to happen. With the peace and all that had been ongoing nobody really believed there was a bomb in the town. It is all so hard to take in," he said.
The teenager's mother, Marion, said the family were counting themselves very lucky that Damian had not been seriously hurt.
"He was one of the lucky ones, but there were so many who have been killed and seriously injured. It was just terrible," she added.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0082
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
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