NEWS REVIEW 2000 - NEWS REVIEW 2000
Year in Review - 2000
February - The father of one of the boys killed in the Omagh Bombing made an appeal for more effort to be put into the manhunt for the Bombers.
March - It was in March when it was revealed that little more than �15,000 would be payed into the Omagh Fund following the previous Autum's three glamour games at St Julian's Road, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
April - It was in April that the bereaved of the Omagh Bomb were told that the inquests in to those who were murdered in the 1998 atrocity would take place in September. It was also during April that the remains of the Omagh Bomb victims James Barker were resumed from the grave in Buncrana and reburied in England. The parents of James Barker removed his body because Republicans were planning to hold Easter Rising commemorations at the site where several IRA members were buried.
May - Meanwhile Omagh Town Football Club were accused of making an own goal by the makers of a BBC1 documentary programme. The hard hitting investigation report claimed that they could prove that there was thousands of pounds raised in memory of those who died in the Omagh Bomb had vanished, swallowed by a club that was in financial difficulty.
A young victim of the Omagh Bomb, Alistair Hall (13) was among the select few that was invited to Windsor Castle after receiving one of the Scout movement's top awards for bravery.
Towards the end of the month a 'hero' of the Omagh Bomb was himself the victim of a double drowning in the River Bann. Charles Mc Causland (29) had been honoured for his bravery by the RUC after the explosion on August 15 1998.
June - June was the month that Omagh braced itself for another invasion of the world's media, when it was announced that the inquest into the deaths of 29 people and unborn twins girls was to open in september.
It was also announced that Belfast Coroner John Leckey was to conduct the hearing which was expected to last for four weeks
July - THERE were smiles all round at the start of July, with the announcement that the American Ireland Fund had made a record breaking donation of �500,000 towards the cost of building the community house at the site of the Market Street bomb in Omagh.
It was revealed that the project, once completed, would have a phenomenal impact on those who served the town in a voluntary capacity and in a cross community fashion, as it would draw many community based groups together under one roof.
It was also noted at the start of July that a significant number of young people were still affected by the aftermath of the Omagh bombing.
In an announcement the Sperrin Lakeland Trust and Western Education and Library Board said findings of a major study into the long term impact of the bomb on children showed that over 4,500 children from 24 local schools and colleges had taken part.
August - In the middle of the month Omagh stopped to remember its dead at a simple but poignant ceremony at the Garden of Remembrance off Drumragh Avenue. The bomb-scarred town came to a standstill, and all business closed down for half an hour as a mark of respect.
Despite the fact that it was two years to the day since the fateful bombing, it was more than apparent that, for many, the pain was just as acute as that terrible day 24 months previously when 29 men women and children, and two baby girls a few weeks from being born, perished.
Later in the month, many bereaved families staged a silent protest vigil outside a public house in West Belfast, objecting to the holding of a meeting there by the political wing of the Real IRA, the organisation they blamed for the planting of the bomb.
The families also called on the British, Irish and American governments to set up a joint approach to use all legitimate and democratic means to prevent the further growth of the dissident group.
September - The local news scene in September was dominated by the inquests in the deaths into the 29 people and unborn twin girls killed in the Omagh bombing.
It was a harrowing time for the families bereaved in the atrocity of August 15, 1998, as evidence about the horrific nature of the 300lb car bomb began to unfold.
The inquest lasted more than a month, and over 150 witnesses gave evidence.
In the early stages of the inquest there were complaints over the way some lawyers had questioned police officers challenging the way officers had handled the response to the bomb emergency.
As evidence continued to unfold there were harrowing scenes with graphic video tapes being shown which were recorded within minutes of the blast occurring. One of the video-makers, Pat McElhatton, from Fintona, said he just wanted "to show the world that this is what a bomb does".
Meanwhile, the area's police chief, Supt. James Baxter, told the inquest there was no way an area the size of Omagh town centre could be cleared in the 29 minutes
that was given in a warning call before the explosion. Supt. Baxter told the coroner: "I can tell you that the only people who could have made any difference on August 15 were those people who planted the bomb and those who made the telephone calls in relation to it."
October - "The Real IRA claimed responsibility for the car bomb, though they sought to pass the responsibility to the police for the casualties. As far as I am concerned, they were responsible for all that happened". Those were the hard hitting words the Coroner hearing the Omagh inquest, Mr. John Leckey, chose to conclude what had been a harrowing and distressing four week chapter in the history of Omagh.
He went on to commend the police, emergency services and civilians who helped in the minutes, hours and days that followed the atrocity and said that although the inquest was the closure of a chapter of the events of what happened, it would take the conviction and punishment of those responsible to "close the book" on what had happened in Omagh.
The start of the month saw the centre of the town again evacuated for about two hours after police received a bomb warning that there was a device in the "Omagh town area".
Eleventh hour efforts to prevent BBC programmers from screening a Panorama special on the Omagh bombing failed and the programme went ahead as scheduled.
The programme named four men interviewed but never charged in relation to the Omagh bombing. The decision to name them and film or attempt to film them divided opinion locally as to whether the programme makers were right. The programme, said to have taken months to prepare, included reconstructions of the likely route taken by the bomb car. It claimed that mobile telephones linked to named individuals had been used along the bomb route and in Omagh, It suggested that the use of the phones was consistent with the practices bombers would have employed.
November - Relatives of those who died in the August 15 1998 bombing of Market Street in Omagh announced that they would take civil action against those they believed carried out the atrocity. Their decision to take legal action was unprecedented - never before had alleged terrorists been sued for being terrorists.
Omagh Bomb Victims pleaded for an assurance on the future of the life saving burns and plastic surgery unit in the Royal Victoria in Belfast.
February - The father of one of the boys killed in the Omagh Bombing made an appeal for more effort to be put into the manhunt for the Bombers.
March - It was in March when it was revealed that little more than �15,000 would be payed into the Omagh Fund following the previous Autum's three glamour games at St Julian's Road, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
April - It was in April that the bereaved of the Omagh Bomb were told that the inquests in to those who were murdered in the 1998 atrocity would take place in September. It was also during April that the remains of the Omagh Bomb victims James Barker were resumed from the grave in Buncrana and reburied in England. The parents of James Barker removed his body because Republicans were planning to hold Easter Rising commemorations at the site where several IRA members were buried.
May - Meanwhile Omagh Town Football Club were accused of making an own goal by the makers of a BBC1 documentary programme. The hard hitting investigation report claimed that they could prove that there was thousands of pounds raised in memory of those who died in the Omagh Bomb had vanished, swallowed by a club that was in financial difficulty.
A young victim of the Omagh Bomb, Alistair Hall (13) was among the select few that was invited to Windsor Castle after receiving one of the Scout movement's top awards for bravery.
Towards the end of the month a 'hero' of the Omagh Bomb was himself the victim of a double drowning in the River Bann. Charles Mc Causland (29) had been honoured for his bravery by the RUC after the explosion on August 15 1998.
June - June was the month that Omagh braced itself for another invasion of the world's media, when it was announced that the inquest into the deaths of 29 people and unborn twins girls was to open in september.
It was also announced that Belfast Coroner John Leckey was to conduct the hearing which was expected to last for four weeks
July - THERE were smiles all round at the start of July, with the announcement that the American Ireland Fund had made a record breaking donation of �500,000 towards the cost of building the community house at the site of the Market Street bomb in Omagh.
It was revealed that the project, once completed, would have a phenomenal impact on those who served the town in a voluntary capacity and in a cross community fashion, as it would draw many community based groups together under one roof.
It was also noted at the start of July that a significant number of young people were still affected by the aftermath of the Omagh bombing.
In an announcement the Sperrin Lakeland Trust and Western Education and Library Board said findings of a major study into the long term impact of the bomb on children showed that over 4,500 children from 24 local schools and colleges had taken part.
August - In the middle of the month Omagh stopped to remember its dead at a simple but poignant ceremony at the Garden of Remembrance off Drumragh Avenue. The bomb-scarred town came to a standstill, and all business closed down for half an hour as a mark of respect.
Despite the fact that it was two years to the day since the fateful bombing, it was more than apparent that, for many, the pain was just as acute as that terrible day 24 months previously when 29 men women and children, and two baby girls a few weeks from being born, perished.
Later in the month, many bereaved families staged a silent protest vigil outside a public house in West Belfast, objecting to the holding of a meeting there by the political wing of the Real IRA, the organisation they blamed for the planting of the bomb.
The families also called on the British, Irish and American governments to set up a joint approach to use all legitimate and democratic means to prevent the further growth of the dissident group.
September - The local news scene in September was dominated by the inquests in the deaths into the 29 people and unborn twin girls killed in the Omagh bombing.
It was a harrowing time for the families bereaved in the atrocity of August 15, 1998, as evidence about the horrific nature of the 300lb car bomb began to unfold.
The inquest lasted more than a month, and over 150 witnesses gave evidence.
In the early stages of the inquest there were complaints over the way some lawyers had questioned police officers challenging the way officers had handled the response to the bomb emergency.
As evidence continued to unfold there were harrowing scenes with graphic video tapes being shown which were recorded within minutes of the blast occurring. One of the video-makers, Pat McElhatton, from Fintona, said he just wanted "to show the world that this is what a bomb does".
Meanwhile, the area's police chief, Supt. James Baxter, told the inquest there was no way an area the size of Omagh town centre could be cleared in the 29 minutes
that was given in a warning call before the explosion. Supt. Baxter told the coroner: "I can tell you that the only people who could have made any difference on August 15 were those people who planted the bomb and those who made the telephone calls in relation to it."
October - "The Real IRA claimed responsibility for the car bomb, though they sought to pass the responsibility to the police for the casualties. As far as I am concerned, they were responsible for all that happened". Those were the hard hitting words the Coroner hearing the Omagh inquest, Mr. John Leckey, chose to conclude what had been a harrowing and distressing four week chapter in the history of Omagh.
He went on to commend the police, emergency services and civilians who helped in the minutes, hours and days that followed the atrocity and said that although the inquest was the closure of a chapter of the events of what happened, it would take the conviction and punishment of those responsible to "close the book" on what had happened in Omagh.
The start of the month saw the centre of the town again evacuated for about two hours after police received a bomb warning that there was a device in the "Omagh town area".
Eleventh hour efforts to prevent BBC programmers from screening a Panorama special on the Omagh bombing failed and the programme went ahead as scheduled.
The programme named four men interviewed but never charged in relation to the Omagh bombing. The decision to name them and film or attempt to film them divided opinion locally as to whether the programme makers were right. The programme, said to have taken months to prepare, included reconstructions of the likely route taken by the bomb car. It claimed that mobile telephones linked to named individuals had been used along the bomb route and in Omagh, It suggested that the use of the phones was consistent with the practices bombers would have employed.
November - Relatives of those who died in the August 15 1998 bombing of Market Street in Omagh announced that they would take civil action against those they believed carried out the atrocity. Their decision to take legal action was unprecedented - never before had alleged terrorists been sued for being terrorists.
Omagh Bomb Victims pleaded for an assurance on the future of the life saving burns and plastic surgery unit in the Royal Victoria in Belfast.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0840
Published Date: 04-Jan-01
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