BRAVERY PRAISED AS BEREAVED AND INJURED REACHED OUT TO EACH OTHER
Bravery praised as bereaved and injured reached out to each other
LOCAL clergy have praised the bravery of those bereaved and injured in the Omagh bombing, many of whom, with their families returned to the leisure centre to meet President Bill Clinton, less than three weeks after they had gone there looking for news of their relatives.
And Rev. Kevin Mullan and Rev. Ian Mairs have said they felt the meeting on Thursday last with the US President, First Lady Hillary, and Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie, had come some way to help alleviate the pain of the victims of the bombing.
Around 600 of the bereaved, injured and their relatives met at St. Mary's Hall, Killyclogher, before being driven in buses to the leisure centre to meet the President.
Fr Mullan, a curate at Christ the King Church, Strathroy, was one of the first on the scene minutes after the bomb exploded on Saturday, August 15. He said the gathering at Killyclogher was the first time that the majority of the injured had been together since the bombing.
"People talked to each other, and found that that first gathering was very therapeutic and helpful.
They saw what each had gone through and reached out to each other," he said.
"Some of them seemed nervous going back into the town, and being part of a crowd again.
"But as they walked to the buses to take them to the leisure centre, I felt they were taking a step back into life."
Commenting on the meeting with the President on the meeting with the President, Fr. Mullan said what struck him most was the fact that he wanted to immediately go down and speak to the people.
Shared
"He spoke about the inadequacy of words and how he shared the people's grief and pain. And he talked about working with them in their determination to make peace work, and turn the nightmares of the past into dreams for the future," Fr Mullan said.
He went on to say that both the Clintons and the Blairs had time for the future," Fr Mullan said.
He went on to say that both the Clintons and the Blairs had time for everybody.
"Time did not seem to come into it. They talked and listened to the people, and at one point I saw the President crouched on the floor chatting to a girl in a wheelchair," he said.
"Everybody in the room was important to them, and they were determined to give their time to them.
"The President also stood while I took a photo of him with one of the injured. He was clearly very tired, but seemed to absorb everybody's story and pain."
And Fr. Mullan went on to say that he felt the bereaved had benefited from the President's visit.
"He was just like any other mourner coming into a bereaved family," he said.
"The people were very at ease with him, and I feel it signalled a start of their coming back to take their place in society again."
Rev. Mairs, minister of Mountjoy Presbyterian Church, said the meeting had been very emotional on a number of levels.
Like Fr. Mullan, he pointed out that it had been the first time many people had seen some of the more badly injured from the bombing, but he felt that the meeting with the President had done some good.
Emotions
"It was also the first time many of them had been out of their homes and seen each other, and there were a lot of strong emotions," he said.
He said the President, Mrs. Clinton and the Blairs, spent a lot of time with the bereaved families, and they were grateful for that.
"The President and his wife were undoubtedly moved by the meeting. And the relatives and injured were pleased that he took time out of his busy schedule to come and speak to them," Rev. Mairs said.
"For someone like him to come and spend five minutes with each family was lovely, and it was much appreciated."
Commenting on the reaction after the President left, he said: "I noticed several people did not get out of their seats. Many just sat quietly, some wept, and others hugged each other. Coming back to the leisure centre was a brave decision for many of them to make".
Appeal to President on decommission issue
A MEMBER of Fermanagh District Council, Mr Sam Foster, has appealed to the US President Bill Clinton to use his influence to bring about decommissioning.
Mr. Foster, who is the Ulster Unionist Party's Fermanagh South Tyrone representative on the new Assembly, was introduced to Mr. Clinton by party leader, Mr. David Trimble, at Stormont on Thursday last, during the President's visit to Northern Ireland.
"When introduced, I informed the President that I was one of the survivors of the Enniskillen bombing almost 11 years ago," Mr Foster said.
"I appealed to him to exert as much pressure as possible to bring about decommissioning, otherwise the Assembly would find great difficulty in working."
Mr. Foster said he felt the President was very interested in what he had to say and that he appreciated the "absolute need" for decommissioning to take place.
LOCAL clergy have praised the bravery of those bereaved and injured in the Omagh bombing, many of whom, with their families returned to the leisure centre to meet President Bill Clinton, less than three weeks after they had gone there looking for news of their relatives.
And Rev. Kevin Mullan and Rev. Ian Mairs have said they felt the meeting on Thursday last with the US President, First Lady Hillary, and Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie, had come some way to help alleviate the pain of the victims of the bombing.
Around 600 of the bereaved, injured and their relatives met at St. Mary's Hall, Killyclogher, before being driven in buses to the leisure centre to meet the President.
Fr Mullan, a curate at Christ the King Church, Strathroy, was one of the first on the scene minutes after the bomb exploded on Saturday, August 15. He said the gathering at Killyclogher was the first time that the majority of the injured had been together since the bombing.
"People talked to each other, and found that that first gathering was very therapeutic and helpful.
They saw what each had gone through and reached out to each other," he said.
"Some of them seemed nervous going back into the town, and being part of a crowd again.
"But as they walked to the buses to take them to the leisure centre, I felt they were taking a step back into life."
Commenting on the meeting with the President on the meeting with the President, Fr. Mullan said what struck him most was the fact that he wanted to immediately go down and speak to the people.
Shared
"He spoke about the inadequacy of words and how he shared the people's grief and pain. And he talked about working with them in their determination to make peace work, and turn the nightmares of the past into dreams for the future," Fr Mullan said.
He went on to say that both the Clintons and the Blairs had time for the future," Fr Mullan said.
He went on to say that both the Clintons and the Blairs had time for everybody.
"Time did not seem to come into it. They talked and listened to the people, and at one point I saw the President crouched on the floor chatting to a girl in a wheelchair," he said.
"Everybody in the room was important to them, and they were determined to give their time to them.
"The President also stood while I took a photo of him with one of the injured. He was clearly very tired, but seemed to absorb everybody's story and pain."
And Fr. Mullan went on to say that he felt the bereaved had benefited from the President's visit.
"He was just like any other mourner coming into a bereaved family," he said.
"The people were very at ease with him, and I feel it signalled a start of their coming back to take their place in society again."
Rev. Mairs, minister of Mountjoy Presbyterian Church, said the meeting had been very emotional on a number of levels.
Like Fr. Mullan, he pointed out that it had been the first time many people had seen some of the more badly injured from the bombing, but he felt that the meeting with the President had done some good.
Emotions
"It was also the first time many of them had been out of their homes and seen each other, and there were a lot of strong emotions," he said.
He said the President, Mrs. Clinton and the Blairs, spent a lot of time with the bereaved families, and they were grateful for that.
"The President and his wife were undoubtedly moved by the meeting. And the relatives and injured were pleased that he took time out of his busy schedule to come and speak to them," Rev. Mairs said.
"For someone like him to come and spend five minutes with each family was lovely, and it was much appreciated."
Commenting on the reaction after the President left, he said: "I noticed several people did not get out of their seats. Many just sat quietly, some wept, and others hugged each other. Coming back to the leisure centre was a brave decision for many of them to make".
Appeal to President on decommission issue
A MEMBER of Fermanagh District Council, Mr Sam Foster, has appealed to the US President Bill Clinton to use his influence to bring about decommissioning.
Mr. Foster, who is the Ulster Unionist Party's Fermanagh South Tyrone representative on the new Assembly, was introduced to Mr. Clinton by party leader, Mr. David Trimble, at Stormont on Thursday last, during the President's visit to Northern Ireland.
"When introduced, I informed the President that I was one of the survivors of the Enniskillen bombing almost 11 years ago," Mr Foster said.
"I appealed to him to exert as much pressure as possible to bring about decommissioning, otherwise the Assembly would find great difficulty in working."
Mr. Foster said he felt the President was very interested in what he had to say and that he appreciated the "absolute need" for decommissioning to take place.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1187
Published Date: 10-Sep-98
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