RESILIENCE OF THE PEOPLE WILL WIN SAYS COUNCILLOR
Resilience of the people will win says councillor
THE people of Omagh will not let terrorism defeat them, and will come through Saturday's devastation, the DUP's West Tyrone Assembly member, Mr. Oliver Gibson, has said this week.
Mr. Gibson, who is also a local councillor and is related to one of the victims, had been on his way to Scarborough when he got a phone call telling him of the bombing.
"I was 15 miles out of Scarborough when the mobile phone went, and I learned that the town I was so proud to represent was devastated by a massive bomb, and the streets were littered with human carnage," he said.
"After some difficulty, I eventually managed to get a flight out of Manchester, but the inconvenience I suffered was only a teardrop compared to the ocean of grief that is flowing in Omagh this week."
Mr. Gibson said that on Friday, Omagh was a thriving, prosperous town, one that he was proud to represent.
He said the town had survived bombs over the years, and had been rebuilt every time.
"But when I viewed the devastation and realised that 28 people were dead, I felt aggrieved and outraged," he said.
"Omagh, which has suffered so much in the past, has a quiet and in-built resilience. After we have grieved and buried our dead, helped those who are injured, both physically and mentally, and welcomed them back into our midst, I am convinced that we will, as a town, put our heart and soul back into restoring ourselves to better than we were before," he said.
"I have every confidence in the resilience of the people, in particularly the business community," he said.
Mr. Gibson said he had visited many of the staff in shops destroyed by the bomb, including all the staff from S. D. Kells, which suffered the bulk of the devastation.
"I was delighted to see their quiet, dignified resolve, and their avoidance of hatred, as well as their wish to attend the funerals of all those who were killed on the premises," he said.
"I have always had confidence in the business people and staff in Omagh, but I never had it more fully brought home to me than when I spoke to them this week."
He added: "The IRA, call it whatever name you like - the old IRA, the Real IRA, the Continuity IRA- are all the same thing to me.
"They are terrorists who bring us, and have brought us, nothing but murder and mayhem and tragedy. And the people of Omagh have no intention of letting terrorism defeat them, not even on this occasion which cost so much in life and limb, as well as property."
Mr. Gibson went on to say that he believed the bomb was planted in a bid to put further pressure on the Government to "give more concessions to the terrorist brigades".
He went on to say that he felt a special place should have been set aside where people could go and mourn quietly and reflect if they wished.
He said he did not feel the footpath on Drumragh Bridge, which the district council has set aside for floral tributes, was appropriate.
"I appreciate and very much accept the sympathies of many people who want to lay bunches of flowers, and it is a tribute to the people of Omagh," he said.
"But I think Omagh council should offer a proper facility for this, particularly for those from outside the area, and for public bodies.
"In the midst of car fumes on a busy crossroads is not the ideal spot for such a thing."
THE people of Omagh will not let terrorism defeat them, and will come through Saturday's devastation, the DUP's West Tyrone Assembly member, Mr. Oliver Gibson, has said this week.
Mr. Gibson, who is also a local councillor and is related to one of the victims, had been on his way to Scarborough when he got a phone call telling him of the bombing.
"I was 15 miles out of Scarborough when the mobile phone went, and I learned that the town I was so proud to represent was devastated by a massive bomb, and the streets were littered with human carnage," he said.
"After some difficulty, I eventually managed to get a flight out of Manchester, but the inconvenience I suffered was only a teardrop compared to the ocean of grief that is flowing in Omagh this week."
Mr. Gibson said that on Friday, Omagh was a thriving, prosperous town, one that he was proud to represent.
He said the town had survived bombs over the years, and had been rebuilt every time.
"But when I viewed the devastation and realised that 28 people were dead, I felt aggrieved and outraged," he said.
"Omagh, which has suffered so much in the past, has a quiet and in-built resilience. After we have grieved and buried our dead, helped those who are injured, both physically and mentally, and welcomed them back into our midst, I am convinced that we will, as a town, put our heart and soul back into restoring ourselves to better than we were before," he said.
"I have every confidence in the resilience of the people, in particularly the business community," he said.
Mr. Gibson said he had visited many of the staff in shops destroyed by the bomb, including all the staff from S. D. Kells, which suffered the bulk of the devastation.
"I was delighted to see their quiet, dignified resolve, and their avoidance of hatred, as well as their wish to attend the funerals of all those who were killed on the premises," he said.
"I have always had confidence in the business people and staff in Omagh, but I never had it more fully brought home to me than when I spoke to them this week."
He added: "The IRA, call it whatever name you like - the old IRA, the Real IRA, the Continuity IRA- are all the same thing to me.
"They are terrorists who bring us, and have brought us, nothing but murder and mayhem and tragedy. And the people of Omagh have no intention of letting terrorism defeat them, not even on this occasion which cost so much in life and limb, as well as property."
Mr. Gibson went on to say that he believed the bomb was planted in a bid to put further pressure on the Government to "give more concessions to the terrorist brigades".
He went on to say that he felt a special place should have been set aside where people could go and mourn quietly and reflect if they wished.
He said he did not feel the footpath on Drumragh Bridge, which the district council has set aside for floral tributes, was appropriate.
"I appreciate and very much accept the sympathies of many people who want to lay bunches of flowers, and it is a tribute to the people of Omagh," he said.
"But I think Omagh council should offer a proper facility for this, particularly for those from outside the area, and for public bodies.
"In the midst of car fumes on a busy crossroads is not the ideal spot for such a thing."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0084
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
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