OPEN LETTER TO CLERK OF OMAGH DISTRICT COUNCIL
Open letter to clerk of Omagh District Council
Sir,
In common with all the other political parties which represent public opinion in the Omagh District, the Northern Executive of Democratic Left, through me, wishes to place on record its solidarity with all those whose lives were so callously, cruelly and indelibly marked by the deliberate placing of the bomb in Omagh's Market Street on 15 August.
Words can never suitably express the feelings of revulsion of decent people towards the psychopaths who carry out such atrocities but words are necessary to convey the hope that the Omagh bomb will be the last in a long time of lunacy stretching over the past 29 years. The hope must be that the perpetrators of such heinous massacres in this and surrounding areas, stretching from Enniskillen, Ballygawley Road and Teebane to Omagh, possibly designed by the same evil hands, may yet be brought to justice.
As a former chairman of the Omagh District Council, I ask you to convey my party's sympathy to the families, relations and friends of the dead and to convey our hope for a full and complete recovery to the injured, as well as our delight at the good fortune of those who, but for fate, might have been amongst the maimed.
Foremost amongst those who helped at this terrible time of tragedy, and in whose debt we will forever remain, are the dedicated medical staff of all the hospitals but in particular Tyrone County Hospital where staff, ambulance men, visiting doctors and nurses and lay citizens, whose attention to duty over long hours undoubtedly saved lives.
My party members are anxious that you acknowledge publicly on their behalf, the debt owed to the security service personnel for their sensitivity and helpfulness at such a traumatic time in the lives of their loved ones. Their expertise, their facilities and the use of their resources are all greatly appreciated as was the knowledge that, like some of the medical staff, they remained at their posts even though members of their own families were numbered amongst the dead and injured.
Please convey our thanks too, to the media, both print and electronic, who conveyed the sad news on the airwaves and in the press, informing relatives in every corner of the known earth. Despite the awfulness of the massacre, they displayed the utmost sensitivity to suffering families and remained comparatively unobtrusive whilst reporting the gruesome details.
Lastly, your staff and yourself deserve the highest commendation for your devotion to duty in appalling circumstances. Their organisational ability and the long hours worked, above and beyond the call of duty, was an inspiration to all. The use of public facilities and their resources were quickly put at public disposal and were greatly valued.
Finally, your own role in the organisation and co-ordination of the public Service of Reflection last Saturday, when upwards of 40,000 people reclaimed the town of Omagh from the grip of terror, will long be remembered as will the quiet dignity of those vast numbers who participated. "Cometh the hour, cometh the man" is an old saying which in the case of the Omagh massacre might well be altered to read: "Cometh the atrocity, cometh the leadership". In its leadership, Omagh excelled itself.
The work of churchmen, counsellors, medical staff will be on-going and accepted gratefully. Business people are already putting back the pieces in the Omagh we knew. Much discussion and planning will go into designing a suitable, hopefully living memorial, to commemorate the sudden passing from this world of so many living, beautiful people, but that discussion is for another day when so many people will have begun to come to terms with their loss.
As with all other parties, your council can count on the full support of the members and supporters of Democratic Left.
Yours Sincerely,
Frank McElroy,
(Former chairman, Omagh District Council),
26 Quarry Road,
Carrickmore
Sir,
In common with all the other political parties which represent public opinion in the Omagh District, the Northern Executive of Democratic Left, through me, wishes to place on record its solidarity with all those whose lives were so callously, cruelly and indelibly marked by the deliberate placing of the bomb in Omagh's Market Street on 15 August.
Words can never suitably express the feelings of revulsion of decent people towards the psychopaths who carry out such atrocities but words are necessary to convey the hope that the Omagh bomb will be the last in a long time of lunacy stretching over the past 29 years. The hope must be that the perpetrators of such heinous massacres in this and surrounding areas, stretching from Enniskillen, Ballygawley Road and Teebane to Omagh, possibly designed by the same evil hands, may yet be brought to justice.
As a former chairman of the Omagh District Council, I ask you to convey my party's sympathy to the families, relations and friends of the dead and to convey our hope for a full and complete recovery to the injured, as well as our delight at the good fortune of those who, but for fate, might have been amongst the maimed.
Foremost amongst those who helped at this terrible time of tragedy, and in whose debt we will forever remain, are the dedicated medical staff of all the hospitals but in particular Tyrone County Hospital where staff, ambulance men, visiting doctors and nurses and lay citizens, whose attention to duty over long hours undoubtedly saved lives.
My party members are anxious that you acknowledge publicly on their behalf, the debt owed to the security service personnel for their sensitivity and helpfulness at such a traumatic time in the lives of their loved ones. Their expertise, their facilities and the use of their resources are all greatly appreciated as was the knowledge that, like some of the medical staff, they remained at their posts even though members of their own families were numbered amongst the dead and injured.
Please convey our thanks too, to the media, both print and electronic, who conveyed the sad news on the airwaves and in the press, informing relatives in every corner of the known earth. Despite the awfulness of the massacre, they displayed the utmost sensitivity to suffering families and remained comparatively unobtrusive whilst reporting the gruesome details.
Lastly, your staff and yourself deserve the highest commendation for your devotion to duty in appalling circumstances. Their organisational ability and the long hours worked, above and beyond the call of duty, was an inspiration to all. The use of public facilities and their resources were quickly put at public disposal and were greatly valued.
Finally, your own role in the organisation and co-ordination of the public Service of Reflection last Saturday, when upwards of 40,000 people reclaimed the town of Omagh from the grip of terror, will long be remembered as will the quiet dignity of those vast numbers who participated. "Cometh the hour, cometh the man" is an old saying which in the case of the Omagh massacre might well be altered to read: "Cometh the atrocity, cometh the leadership". In its leadership, Omagh excelled itself.
The work of churchmen, counsellors, medical staff will be on-going and accepted gratefully. Business people are already putting back the pieces in the Omagh we knew. Much discussion and planning will go into designing a suitable, hopefully living memorial, to commemorate the sudden passing from this world of so many living, beautiful people, but that discussion is for another day when so many people will have begun to come to terms with their loss.
As with all other parties, your council can count on the full support of the members and supporters of Democratic Left.
Yours Sincerely,
Frank McElroy,
(Former chairman, Omagh District Council),
26 Quarry Road,
Carrickmore
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0482
Published Date: 27-Aug-98
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