BRAVE YOUNG VICTIMS AT CENTRE OF MOVING DOCUMENTARY
Brave young victims at centre of moving documentary
TWO brave young victims of the Omagh Bomb are to the centre of a moving BBC documentary, which will be broadcast on the anniversary of last year's atrocity.
In 'Omagh The Legacy', independent film maker and former BBC journalist lain Webster, who has reported on over 20 years of the 'Troubles', follows the painful recovery of two children who were victims of the bombing Claire Gallagher (16), who lost her eyes, and Stephen Coyle (10), who suffered serious internal injuries and lost his right shoulder.
The cameras followed them from operations to physiotherapy but were also there for some of the brighter moments on the long road to recovery. Produced, written and filmed by lain Webster, 'Omagh The Legacy' has had a profound effect on him. "Its been an incredible experience for me being so close to these two remarkable children. Your hearts goes out to them for the trauma they and their families are suffering. It has been a privilege to be allowed to film their recovery", he said.
Narrator, Liam Neeson was similarly affected by the documentary: "This is a moving story of survival, faith and hope. I am honoured to be part of it".
On St. Patrick's Day this year and at the invitation of President Clinton and his wife Hillary, Claire and her family travelled to the White House where she played piano for 1,000 guests. Claire performed alongside Irish pianist, Phil Coulter and Hollywood actors Roma Downey and Aidan Quinn.
Before Claire took to the stage President Clinton introduced her as, "a truly beautiful and remarkable young woman".
"The applause Claire got that night really opened my eyes to the reason why she was here. It was a symbol of not only the people of Omagh but the people of Northern Ireland who have been injured over the years and I think she's a great ambassador for them all", said Seamus Gallagher, (Claire's father).
On Christmas Day, Claire was presented with a state of the art computerised music system by Boyzone on the Noel Edmonds Christmas Special. In April, Stephen was a guest of his favourite football team, Manchester United at Old Trafford. Stephen also visited RAF Aldergrove outside Belfast where he met some of the pilots who airlifted both him and Claire to hospital on the day of the bomb.
In May, as proof of his amazing recovery, he climbed a 2,500 ft mountain in County Donegal.
In Omagh that fateful Saturday Francis and Linda Coyle and their nine-year-old son, Stephen, were shopping for horse-riding equipment for Stephen's sister, Natalie. Also in town with her school friends was Claire Gallagher. At 12 minutes past three the lives of Stephen, Claire and so many others changed forever.
'Battlefield'
Mr. Dominic Pinto, consultant surgeon at the Tyrone County Hospital was on duty that day. "It was like a battlefield, no it was more than that because it was my own town's people. Some had amputated limbs and broken bones, blood pouring everywhere".
Also on duty that day was radiographer, Marie Gallagher, Claire's mum. She knew her daughter was in town shopping and was frantically trying to keep focused on her work: "There's a window in our X-Ray department where we process the films and I spent my time looking out there with my colleagues telling me not to, and after half an hour a nurse came to get me".
Claire suffered a massive trauma to the central part of her face. A large piece of shrapnel from the exploding car was embedded deep in the middle of her face and behind her right eye damaging her left eye extensively.
"I knew that I'd hurt my eyes but I didn't realise how badly, I was pretty calm, I was in shock. I could hear loads of people screaming and car alarms and I knew it was a bomb", said Claire.
For young Stephen the memories are still clear: "I was stepping off the kerb I think and I just remember getting blown up in the air and getting blasted back and then hitting the ground. And looking and my daddy coming over to me and helping me. And he tried to lift me, but he couldn't carry me any longer because his arm was all open and blood was running down his jacket sleeve".
For Stephen, the operations seemed endless but consultant orthopaedic Surgeon Harry Cowie remembers the first one vividly: "We took Stephen to theatre that morning but from a 'bone' point of view I wasn't certain of what I was going to do at that stage because I'd never seen an injury to a shoulder like this, we were left with just fragments of bones, like eggshells".
Metal wire and pins were put into Stephen's shoulder. Stephen also suffered serious internal abdominal and chest injuries. It was a miracle he survived. Since last year he has endured over 12 operations and may face more as his young body continues to grow and develop.
Three weeks after the bomb and four operations later, Claire's ophthalmic surgeon Simon Rankin, felt there was a five per cent chance that one final operation could give Claire some sight in her left eye. The odds were stacked against Claire and unfortunately it proved unsuccessful.
Claire suffers what she calls her dark days: "When I'm having a dark day I prefer to go and sit somewhere on my own or with my mum and have a good cry and get it out of my system. But I talk to my friends especially those who were with me that day".
She tries not to dwell on the fact that she can't see, yet at times she finds herself thinking about the future: "I find myself visualising my friends and I remember what they looked like. I have pictures of them in my head. It'll be difficult as my younger brothers and sisters and friends get older -I won't be able to see them grow up and if in years to come I have children or nieces and nephews, I'll not be able to see them being born or watch them grow up and that makes me feel annoyed but I'm still here to be with my family and friends and I'm thankful for that".
One friend who knows the full horror of the bomb is Honora Flemming who was standing beside Claire when the bomb went off yet miraculously escaped with a cut finger: "The bomb has made us all realise that material things aren't worth anything. It's being happy and having your friends and family around you that's important and Claire will have that as far as we're concerned for the rest of her life".
For Claire's father, Seamus, the legacy of Omagh is simple yet profound: "My wish out of all of this would be that all the fighting would stop in Northern Ireland. The United Ireland that we really want is united in peace. It has nothing to do with a border, just everybody getting on together and let everybody live and have a happy life, because it is a short one", he said.
TWO brave young victims of the Omagh Bomb are to the centre of a moving BBC documentary, which will be broadcast on the anniversary of last year's atrocity.
In 'Omagh The Legacy', independent film maker and former BBC journalist lain Webster, who has reported on over 20 years of the 'Troubles', follows the painful recovery of two children who were victims of the bombing Claire Gallagher (16), who lost her eyes, and Stephen Coyle (10), who suffered serious internal injuries and lost his right shoulder.
The cameras followed them from operations to physiotherapy but were also there for some of the brighter moments on the long road to recovery. Produced, written and filmed by lain Webster, 'Omagh The Legacy' has had a profound effect on him. "Its been an incredible experience for me being so close to these two remarkable children. Your hearts goes out to them for the trauma they and their families are suffering. It has been a privilege to be allowed to film their recovery", he said.
Narrator, Liam Neeson was similarly affected by the documentary: "This is a moving story of survival, faith and hope. I am honoured to be part of it".
On St. Patrick's Day this year and at the invitation of President Clinton and his wife Hillary, Claire and her family travelled to the White House where she played piano for 1,000 guests. Claire performed alongside Irish pianist, Phil Coulter and Hollywood actors Roma Downey and Aidan Quinn.
Before Claire took to the stage President Clinton introduced her as, "a truly beautiful and remarkable young woman".
"The applause Claire got that night really opened my eyes to the reason why she was here. It was a symbol of not only the people of Omagh but the people of Northern Ireland who have been injured over the years and I think she's a great ambassador for them all", said Seamus Gallagher, (Claire's father).
On Christmas Day, Claire was presented with a state of the art computerised music system by Boyzone on the Noel Edmonds Christmas Special. In April, Stephen was a guest of his favourite football team, Manchester United at Old Trafford. Stephen also visited RAF Aldergrove outside Belfast where he met some of the pilots who airlifted both him and Claire to hospital on the day of the bomb.
In May, as proof of his amazing recovery, he climbed a 2,500 ft mountain in County Donegal.
In Omagh that fateful Saturday Francis and Linda Coyle and their nine-year-old son, Stephen, were shopping for horse-riding equipment for Stephen's sister, Natalie. Also in town with her school friends was Claire Gallagher. At 12 minutes past three the lives of Stephen, Claire and so many others changed forever.
'Battlefield'
Mr. Dominic Pinto, consultant surgeon at the Tyrone County Hospital was on duty that day. "It was like a battlefield, no it was more than that because it was my own town's people. Some had amputated limbs and broken bones, blood pouring everywhere".
Also on duty that day was radiographer, Marie Gallagher, Claire's mum. She knew her daughter was in town shopping and was frantically trying to keep focused on her work: "There's a window in our X-Ray department where we process the films and I spent my time looking out there with my colleagues telling me not to, and after half an hour a nurse came to get me".
Claire suffered a massive trauma to the central part of her face. A large piece of shrapnel from the exploding car was embedded deep in the middle of her face and behind her right eye damaging her left eye extensively.
"I knew that I'd hurt my eyes but I didn't realise how badly, I was pretty calm, I was in shock. I could hear loads of people screaming and car alarms and I knew it was a bomb", said Claire.
For young Stephen the memories are still clear: "I was stepping off the kerb I think and I just remember getting blown up in the air and getting blasted back and then hitting the ground. And looking and my daddy coming over to me and helping me. And he tried to lift me, but he couldn't carry me any longer because his arm was all open and blood was running down his jacket sleeve".
For Stephen, the operations seemed endless but consultant orthopaedic Surgeon Harry Cowie remembers the first one vividly: "We took Stephen to theatre that morning but from a 'bone' point of view I wasn't certain of what I was going to do at that stage because I'd never seen an injury to a shoulder like this, we were left with just fragments of bones, like eggshells".
Metal wire and pins were put into Stephen's shoulder. Stephen also suffered serious internal abdominal and chest injuries. It was a miracle he survived. Since last year he has endured over 12 operations and may face more as his young body continues to grow and develop.
Three weeks after the bomb and four operations later, Claire's ophthalmic surgeon Simon Rankin, felt there was a five per cent chance that one final operation could give Claire some sight in her left eye. The odds were stacked against Claire and unfortunately it proved unsuccessful.
Claire suffers what she calls her dark days: "When I'm having a dark day I prefer to go and sit somewhere on my own or with my mum and have a good cry and get it out of my system. But I talk to my friends especially those who were with me that day".
She tries not to dwell on the fact that she can't see, yet at times she finds herself thinking about the future: "I find myself visualising my friends and I remember what they looked like. I have pictures of them in my head. It'll be difficult as my younger brothers and sisters and friends get older -I won't be able to see them grow up and if in years to come I have children or nieces and nephews, I'll not be able to see them being born or watch them grow up and that makes me feel annoyed but I'm still here to be with my family and friends and I'm thankful for that".
One friend who knows the full horror of the bomb is Honora Flemming who was standing beside Claire when the bomb went off yet miraculously escaped with a cut finger: "The bomb has made us all realise that material things aren't worth anything. It's being happy and having your friends and family around you that's important and Claire will have that as far as we're concerned for the rest of her life".
For Claire's father, Seamus, the legacy of Omagh is simple yet profound: "My wish out of all of this would be that all the fighting would stop in Northern Ireland. The United Ireland that we really want is united in peace. It has nothing to do with a border, just everybody getting on together and let everybody live and have a happy life, because it is a short one", he said.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0713
Published Date: 12-Aug-99
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