THOUSANDS GATHER IN OMAGH TO REMEMBER BOMB VICTIMS
Thousands gather to remember victims
Sandra Peake, director of WAVE, the counselling and support service for victims of violence, called on those present to reflect on "the suffering and the bereaved and the dead of all this land, and of these islands, and of all the world, of last year, and this year, and of all the years, for tragedy is the lot of humankind."
There was thanksgiving for all who had supported and helped Omagh in the immediate aftermath of the bomb, and the painful months that followed.
And the Omagh Community Youth Choir, recently returned from a tour of Chicago, and led by conductor, Daryl Simpson, performed the Aaronic (Gaelic) Blessing.
A duet was also sung by former Omagh woman, Miss Maureen Murphy, and boy soprano, Ciaran Kelly.
A central part of the ceremony was a symbolic 'Gathering of Tears', where people representing those who have suffered over the years, including those from Omagh, carried out a ritual act of pouring water.
Those who took part were: Marion Radford, whose son, Alan, was killed in the Omagh bombing; Lorna Gilmore, niece of Mrs. Olive Hawkes, who also died in the bomb; Audrey O'Neill, friend of Mrs. Hawkes; Kathleen Fleming, sister of Sylvia Fleming, who was murdered in Omagh in May last year; Ann Treanor, mother of Damien Treanor, who was murdered in Poyntzpass; Noreen Hill, whose husband, Ronnie, remains in a coma, following the Enniskillen bombing; Rita Restorick, whose son, Steven, was the last soldier to be killed in Northern Ireland; Patricia Bradley, bereaved by the Troubles; Fitore Byqmeti, a refugee from Kosovo, currently living in Cork; and Margaret McKinney, mother of one of the so-called 'Disappeared'.
When the ritual was completed, the crowd heard Rev. Terry Connolly, parish priest of Eskra, Rev. Ian Mairs, minister of Mountjoy and Drumlegagh Presbyterian churches, and Mr. Rustam Jamshedi, retired consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, reflect on all the tears that had been shed over many years.
Symbolic
"Here are gathered in symbolic form the tears of all to whom this anniversary day belongs; and the tears of all that summer of 98 and all that year, and this year, and the 30 years before that, and the years that stretch back beyond: the tears of religious and political conflict within this island, and between us and our neighbours," they said.
Perhaps one of the most poignant moments in the ceremony was the group of young people, including 10-year-old Stephen Coyle, who was seriously injured in the bomb, who simply asked the question, "Why?".
The thoughts of so many were echoed in the words, "Why, Lord, should such cruel evil have been done to us?", and "Why do the innocent suffer, Lord, and the unjust so often seem to prosper and escape?".
As the ceremony drew to a close, the chairman of Omagh District Council, Mr. Allan Rainey, called for community and political leaders and representatives to be granted "wisdom and sensitivity in their efforts to help us live at peace with one another".
And, appropriately, the service ended with the thousands present engaging in a 'sign of peace'. Some shook the hands of those standing beside them; many others, including the bereaved and injured, hugged each other.
As the community parted to return to their homes, many called at the small Garden of Remembrance, to quietly read the messages on the bunches of flowers that had been left, and to pay their respects.
One year on from the bombing, it is hard to know how the town can ever be the same again. For many of those caught up in last year's atrocity, their lives never will be.
But Sunday's ceremony did provide a message of hope and renewal for the community.
As Rev. Peter Good, superintendent of Omagh and Fintona Methodist Circuit, said: "We are marking this anniversary day in sadness, but also in hope. A year of time has gone around. In an August month we should be beginning to gather some of the harvest of the land. But so much of our seed this year has been sown in tears. Here in this street, and in our homes, and at our graves, may seeds of new life be sown in hope, and nursed with love and nurtured with all the help which we continue to be given that we will come back some day to this harvest time, assured by the victory of goodness over evil, and in such peaceful expectation of eternity together with all whom we love - that God's gift of joy may lie before us, and we may sing again."
Sandra Peake, director of WAVE, the counselling and support service for victims of violence, called on those present to reflect on "the suffering and the bereaved and the dead of all this land, and of these islands, and of all the world, of last year, and this year, and of all the years, for tragedy is the lot of humankind."
There was thanksgiving for all who had supported and helped Omagh in the immediate aftermath of the bomb, and the painful months that followed.
And the Omagh Community Youth Choir, recently returned from a tour of Chicago, and led by conductor, Daryl Simpson, performed the Aaronic (Gaelic) Blessing.
A duet was also sung by former Omagh woman, Miss Maureen Murphy, and boy soprano, Ciaran Kelly.
A central part of the ceremony was a symbolic 'Gathering of Tears', where people representing those who have suffered over the years, including those from Omagh, carried out a ritual act of pouring water.
Those who took part were: Marion Radford, whose son, Alan, was killed in the Omagh bombing; Lorna Gilmore, niece of Mrs. Olive Hawkes, who also died in the bomb; Audrey O'Neill, friend of Mrs. Hawkes; Kathleen Fleming, sister of Sylvia Fleming, who was murdered in Omagh in May last year; Ann Treanor, mother of Damien Treanor, who was murdered in Poyntzpass; Noreen Hill, whose husband, Ronnie, remains in a coma, following the Enniskillen bombing; Rita Restorick, whose son, Steven, was the last soldier to be killed in Northern Ireland; Patricia Bradley, bereaved by the Troubles; Fitore Byqmeti, a refugee from Kosovo, currently living in Cork; and Margaret McKinney, mother of one of the so-called 'Disappeared'.
When the ritual was completed, the crowd heard Rev. Terry Connolly, parish priest of Eskra, Rev. Ian Mairs, minister of Mountjoy and Drumlegagh Presbyterian churches, and Mr. Rustam Jamshedi, retired consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, reflect on all the tears that had been shed over many years.
Symbolic
"Here are gathered in symbolic form the tears of all to whom this anniversary day belongs; and the tears of all that summer of 98 and all that year, and this year, and the 30 years before that, and the years that stretch back beyond: the tears of religious and political conflict within this island, and between us and our neighbours," they said.
Perhaps one of the most poignant moments in the ceremony was the group of young people, including 10-year-old Stephen Coyle, who was seriously injured in the bomb, who simply asked the question, "Why?".
The thoughts of so many were echoed in the words, "Why, Lord, should such cruel evil have been done to us?", and "Why do the innocent suffer, Lord, and the unjust so often seem to prosper and escape?".
As the ceremony drew to a close, the chairman of Omagh District Council, Mr. Allan Rainey, called for community and political leaders and representatives to be granted "wisdom and sensitivity in their efforts to help us live at peace with one another".
And, appropriately, the service ended with the thousands present engaging in a 'sign of peace'. Some shook the hands of those standing beside them; many others, including the bereaved and injured, hugged each other.
As the community parted to return to their homes, many called at the small Garden of Remembrance, to quietly read the messages on the bunches of flowers that had been left, and to pay their respects.
One year on from the bombing, it is hard to know how the town can ever be the same again. For many of those caught up in last year's atrocity, their lives never will be.
But Sunday's ceremony did provide a message of hope and renewal for the community.
As Rev. Peter Good, superintendent of Omagh and Fintona Methodist Circuit, said: "We are marking this anniversary day in sadness, but also in hope. A year of time has gone around. In an August month we should be beginning to gather some of the harvest of the land. But so much of our seed this year has been sown in tears. Here in this street, and in our homes, and at our graves, may seeds of new life be sown in hope, and nursed with love and nurtured with all the help which we continue to be given that we will come back some day to this harvest time, assured by the victory of goodness over evil, and in such peaceful expectation of eternity together with all whom we love - that God's gift of joy may lie before us, and we may sing again."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0719
Published Date: 19-Aug-99
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