PRESIDENT GOT STANDING OVATION FROM BEREAVED REVEALS DRUMQUIN MAN
President got standing ovation from bereaved, reveals Drumquin man
A FATHER of four whose wife was killed in the Omagh bombing recalled this week how he told President Bill Clinton that he never wanted any other family to go through what he and others had suffered in the August 15 atrocity.
Mr. Kevin Skelton, from Drumquin and his children, Shauna (13), Tracy (15), Ray (16) and Paula (19), were among around 600 of the bereaved, injured and their relatives, who met the US President , the First Lady, and Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie, at the leisure centre on Thursday last.
It was the first time many of the injured and bereaved had been together since the bombing.
Mr. Skelton's wife Philomena (Mena) was killed while shopping in S. D. Kells drapery store with two of her daughters, Shauna and Tracy. Mr Skelton had been next door in Mister G's when the bomb exploded. The couple were due to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on
August 31.
Shauna suffered a broken jaw and neck injuries in the blast, and was allowed out of hospital to attend her mother's funeral.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Skelton said that, despite the feelings of some that the President should not visit, he was pleased that he had come to offer his support and sympathy.
"To me, it helped. Every little bit helps," he said, "And the most important thing was that it was completely private. There were no television cameras being pushed in your face."
Mr. Skelton explained how the President received a standing ovation when he entered the room, and how he was keen to spend time with everyone there.
"I'm sure he did not know what to expect when he walked into that room. But I think the standing ovation really hit him and Mr. Blair. You could see in their faces that they were not their usual 'sparky' selves. It hurt, because they knew what the people had gone through," he said.
Mr. Skelton described Mr. Clinton and Mr. Blair as kind, courteous and understanding.
"All of them were more than nice. The President spent a lot of time with everybody, and my daughter, Shauna, got his autograph," he said.
"They went round each table and spoke to all of us, before going on to speak to the injured and their families sitting behind.
"Shauna was the first to ask him for his autograph and then he was swamped by others. When she went back to him a second time to get one for someone she knew, it was no trouble for him to sign it again.
"He asked Shauna about her injury, and asked me how I was feeling. I told him that all I wanted was that this would not happen to any other family in Northern Ireland."
He explained how the President's minders' kept telling him he needed to move on.
"But he ignored them. Whatever time he wanted to spend, he spent it with the people in that room," Mr. Skelton said.
He went on to say how he had met people at the leisure centre whom he did not know had been injured.
"I am still finding out about people who were hurt. It gave us a chance to meet the other families, to let them know that we knew what they were going through," he said.
'Worthwhile'
"It was certainly a worthwhile exercise. And in years to come when my youngsters have got married and we do have peace, it will be something that they can tell their children, that they met the President of the United States," he said.
"In my lifetime, I don't think we will ever see a President in Omagh again. It is just unfortunate that it had to happen under the circumstances that it did."
Mr. Skelton paid tribute to Mr. Clinton for coming to Omagh, saying: "It was his choice, and you have to admire him for that."
And he went on to say how his family were trying to carry on with their lives in the aftermath of the tragedy.
His son, Ray, has just started an electronics course at Omagh College of Further Education, while Tracy returned to school in Dromore on Tuesday.
Shauna, he said, was doing well, and the operation on her neck had been a great success.
"She can't wait to have the wires removed from her jaw, so she will be able to eat normally again," he said.
She was due to return to school, but had taken the day off to meet the Duchess of Abercorn, who was paying them a private visit later that afternoon. It is understood the duchess has also been visiting the other bereaved families.
Mr. Skelton's eldest daughter, Paula, turned 19 on August 28, and is due to start a teaching course in Belfast.
"She has always wanted to teach, and the Saturday after her mother died, she learned she had gained a place at Stranmillis," he said.
"Her mother didn't want her to go to England to study, and she would have been so happy that she had got into Stranmillis."
Commenting on the ceasefire announcement on Tuesday by the Real IRA, who carried out the Omagh bombing, Mr. Skelton added: "Although it is too late for us, hopefully it is not too late for everybody else. With the help of God, this will be the last."
A FATHER of four whose wife was killed in the Omagh bombing recalled this week how he told President Bill Clinton that he never wanted any other family to go through what he and others had suffered in the August 15 atrocity.
Mr. Kevin Skelton, from Drumquin and his children, Shauna (13), Tracy (15), Ray (16) and Paula (19), were among around 600 of the bereaved, injured and their relatives, who met the US President , the First Lady, and Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie, at the leisure centre on Thursday last.
It was the first time many of the injured and bereaved had been together since the bombing.
Mr. Skelton's wife Philomena (Mena) was killed while shopping in S. D. Kells drapery store with two of her daughters, Shauna and Tracy. Mr Skelton had been next door in Mister G's when the bomb exploded. The couple were due to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on
August 31.
Shauna suffered a broken jaw and neck injuries in the blast, and was allowed out of hospital to attend her mother's funeral.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Skelton said that, despite the feelings of some that the President should not visit, he was pleased that he had come to offer his support and sympathy.
"To me, it helped. Every little bit helps," he said, "And the most important thing was that it was completely private. There were no television cameras being pushed in your face."
Mr. Skelton explained how the President received a standing ovation when he entered the room, and how he was keen to spend time with everyone there.
"I'm sure he did not know what to expect when he walked into that room. But I think the standing ovation really hit him and Mr. Blair. You could see in their faces that they were not their usual 'sparky' selves. It hurt, because they knew what the people had gone through," he said.
Mr. Skelton described Mr. Clinton and Mr. Blair as kind, courteous and understanding.
"All of them were more than nice. The President spent a lot of time with everybody, and my daughter, Shauna, got his autograph," he said.
"They went round each table and spoke to all of us, before going on to speak to the injured and their families sitting behind.
"Shauna was the first to ask him for his autograph and then he was swamped by others. When she went back to him a second time to get one for someone she knew, it was no trouble for him to sign it again.
"He asked Shauna about her injury, and asked me how I was feeling. I told him that all I wanted was that this would not happen to any other family in Northern Ireland."
He explained how the President's minders' kept telling him he needed to move on.
"But he ignored them. Whatever time he wanted to spend, he spent it with the people in that room," Mr. Skelton said.
He went on to say how he had met people at the leisure centre whom he did not know had been injured.
"I am still finding out about people who were hurt. It gave us a chance to meet the other families, to let them know that we knew what they were going through," he said.
'Worthwhile'
"It was certainly a worthwhile exercise. And in years to come when my youngsters have got married and we do have peace, it will be something that they can tell their children, that they met the President of the United States," he said.
"In my lifetime, I don't think we will ever see a President in Omagh again. It is just unfortunate that it had to happen under the circumstances that it did."
Mr. Skelton paid tribute to Mr. Clinton for coming to Omagh, saying: "It was his choice, and you have to admire him for that."
And he went on to say how his family were trying to carry on with their lives in the aftermath of the tragedy.
His son, Ray, has just started an electronics course at Omagh College of Further Education, while Tracy returned to school in Dromore on Tuesday.
Shauna, he said, was doing well, and the operation on her neck had been a great success.
"She can't wait to have the wires removed from her jaw, so she will be able to eat normally again," he said.
She was due to return to school, but had taken the day off to meet the Duchess of Abercorn, who was paying them a private visit later that afternoon. It is understood the duchess has also been visiting the other bereaved families.
Mr. Skelton's eldest daughter, Paula, turned 19 on August 28, and is due to start a teaching course in Belfast.
"She has always wanted to teach, and the Saturday after her mother died, she learned she had gained a place at Stranmillis," he said.
"Her mother didn't want her to go to England to study, and she would have been so happy that she had got into Stranmillis."
Commenting on the ceasefire announcement on Tuesday by the Real IRA, who carried out the Omagh bombing, Mr. Skelton added: "Although it is too late for us, hopefully it is not too late for everybody else. With the help of God, this will be the last."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1191
Published Date: 10-Sep-98
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