WARRINGTON DINNER HELPS OMAGH RELATIVES GET CLOSER TO LEGAL ACTIONS FUNDS TARGET
Warrington dinner helps Omagh relatives get closer to legal action funds target
THE Omagh relatives taking legal action against those they believe carried out the 1998 bomb atrocity are getting closer to amassing the funds necessary for the action.
The group needs to raise �1.5 million by this August, and the campaign was further boosted by a gala dinner in Warrington.
It was attended by many of the leading supporters of the campaign, including Life Aid co-founder Bob Geldof.
Some of those who lost loved ones in the blast attended the dinner in Warrington, a town which itself suffered at the hands of terrorists.
Geldof was joined by former Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Peter Mandelson, Mrs Daphne Trimble, wife of the First Minister and a number of celebrities, including Mariella Frostrup.
According to Bob Geldof, the civil legal action was a new weapon in the fight against terrorism.
He said: "It's a means of showing our contempt to the killers to their faces by exposing them and having them found guilty.
"It was a crime that is still beyond belief. The killers are walking around with smirks on their faces. We cannot left them get away with it."
Among the Omagh people who attended were Caroline Martin, whose sister, Esther Gibson, died, and Clive McCombe, whose mother, Ann, died.
Caroline said the dinner had been a very prestigious occasion, and was attended by about 160 people, many of them business people from Warrington.
She said Bob Geldof had spoken movingly at the dinner and added: "When he speaks, people listen."
Over the weekend, Caroline and Clive also visited the Warrington Peace Centre and spoke with people who had lost relatives in bomb attacks at
Harrod's and in Birmingham.
Another of the relatives at the dinner was Victor Barker, whose son, James, died. He said he was overwhelmed by the support that the families had received.
Meanwhile, as the fourth anniversary of the atrocity approaches, relatives of those who lost loved ones in the Monaghan and Dublin bombings have marked its 28th anniversary.
Wreaths were laid at a memorial at Talbot Street in Dublin.
One of those to lay a wreath was Mr Michael Gallagher, chairman of the Omagh Support and Self-Help Group.
THE Omagh relatives taking legal action against those they believe carried out the 1998 bomb atrocity are getting closer to amassing the funds necessary for the action.
The group needs to raise �1.5 million by this August, and the campaign was further boosted by a gala dinner in Warrington.
It was attended by many of the leading supporters of the campaign, including Life Aid co-founder Bob Geldof.
Some of those who lost loved ones in the blast attended the dinner in Warrington, a town which itself suffered at the hands of terrorists.
Geldof was joined by former Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Peter Mandelson, Mrs Daphne Trimble, wife of the First Minister and a number of celebrities, including Mariella Frostrup.
According to Bob Geldof, the civil legal action was a new weapon in the fight against terrorism.
He said: "It's a means of showing our contempt to the killers to their faces by exposing them and having them found guilty.
"It was a crime that is still beyond belief. The killers are walking around with smirks on their faces. We cannot left them get away with it."
Among the Omagh people who attended were Caroline Martin, whose sister, Esther Gibson, died, and Clive McCombe, whose mother, Ann, died.
Caroline said the dinner had been a very prestigious occasion, and was attended by about 160 people, many of them business people from Warrington.
She said Bob Geldof had spoken movingly at the dinner and added: "When he speaks, people listen."
Over the weekend, Caroline and Clive also visited the Warrington Peace Centre and spoke with people who had lost relatives in bomb attacks at
Harrod's and in Birmingham.
Another of the relatives at the dinner was Victor Barker, whose son, James, died. He said he was overwhelmed by the support that the families had received.
Meanwhile, as the fourth anniversary of the atrocity approaches, relatives of those who lost loved ones in the Monaghan and Dublin bombings have marked its 28th anniversary.
Wreaths were laid at a memorial at Talbot Street in Dublin.
One of those to lay a wreath was Mr Michael Gallagher, chairman of the Omagh Support and Self-Help Group.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1057
Published Date: 23-May-02
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