POIGNANT PROCESSION AS CANDLES OF HOPE LIGHT UP OMAGH
Poignant procession as candles of hope light up Omagh
OMAGH town centre was lit up by candle light on Sunday evening as several thousand adults and children took part in a Walk of Light and carol service, the finale of the events to be staged in the town in the lead-up to Christmas.
The poignant procession, in memory of those who died in the August 15 bombing, culminated with carol singing around the Christmas tree at the front of the Courthouse, and included a hymn and a Blessing rendered in English, Irish and Spanish.
For some the journey was more difficult, as it was the first time that they had ventured into the town centre since the bombing, which robbed the town, Buncrana and Spain, of loved ones.
The event began at Drumragh Avenue car park, where those who braved the biting cold, were presented with candles, a gift from the people of Dublin.
Once lit, the majority of those who took part in the walk, slowly made their way out of the car park along Drumragh Avenue bridge, which in the late summer was lined with floral tributes to the dead and injured.
The gentle light of the candles was reflected in the water as the procession crossed the bridge, and added a Victorian feel to the event.
Relatives of those injured or killed, who found the prospect of walking along the main route into the bottom of Market Street too distressing, made their way to High Street via Bridge Street, and waited for those who made the journey past the site of the bombing.
The two groups then converged for the remainder of the walk to the front of the Courthouse where a simple carol service was held.
All of Omagh's main churches were represented at the service, in addition to staff from the Tara Centre and a children's choir.
The open-air congregation sang the carols, 'O Come All Ye Faithful', 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing', Away in a Manger', and 'O Little Town of Bethlehem', with the children leading in the first verse of 'Away in a Manger'.
The children's choir sang 'In the Bleak Mid Winter', conducted by Mrs. Sheena Herron.
The second and third verses of Silent Night were read in Spanish by Rhona Laverty, a teacher at the Christian Brothers Grammar School, and in Irish by Maura Twohig, from the Tara Centre.
The readings were by Rev. John Murdoch, First Omagh Presbyterian Church, Fr. Francis Murray, the parish priest of Killyclogher, Dr. Brendan McCarthy, Omagh Community Church, and Christine Nesbitt, a community relations officer with Omagh District Council.
The event was linked by Mary Daly from the Tara Centre.
The Blessing was in English by Rev. Peter Good, Omagh Methodist Church, in Irish by Fr. Michael Keavney, from the Sacred Heart Church, and in Spanish by Fr. Francis Barber, the Army Chaplain.
Speaking after the service, Fr. Kevin Mullan said it was a lovely experience, and was very picturesque for those at the top of High Street watching the procession make its way up the town.
"The walkers who passed through Market Street were obviously stopping at the bomb site, because they were coming up the town in waves, and when they met the families at Bridge Street it was a very touching moment," he said.
"It was just a plain and simple service, and just being there was the important thing," he said.
"I think what Mary Daly said that there is a lot of goodness in everybody here, and they were encouraged to move on and find the future together, and be together, was very appropriate. That was echoed by Rev. Robert Herron, who said when we do things together we find strength," Fr. Mullan said.
Caring mood
"There is a very caring mood in Omagh, we do care about each other, and even though we will be beginning a new year and getting back to doing normal things, we should always carry each other in our prayers and minds," he added.
Fr. Mullan went on to pay tribute to the Army chaplain, Fr. Francis Barber, whose final act of support for the people of Omagh was his participation in the Walk of Light and Carol Service before he moves to his next post.
"He was so good during the atrocity, performing all the work in the mortuary. He also wrote many of the prayers for the memorial service in the town centre," Fr. Mullan said.
The chaplain will be moving to Sandhurst Military Academy, and Fr. Mullan said the people of Omagh owed him a great debt of gratitude.
"He was always in the background and was a tower of strength to us all," Fr. Mullan said.
Rev. Robert Herron, minister of Trinity Presbyterian Church, said he was very pleased with the number of people that attended.
"The event drew people from right across the community, which was encouraging, and there was a reassurance there that what we had done was the right thing to do, and that it was something that the community wanted to do," he said.
"There was the whole idea of entering into Christmas together, as it were, and I found it a very solemn occasion. It was very still going past the bomb site," he said.
"We are keen for the deeper meaning of Christmas to come through, and after what has happened people are looking for deeper meaning as far as life is concerned, and that's what came through to me very strongly during the walk and carol service," Mr Herron added.
OMAGH town centre was lit up by candle light on Sunday evening as several thousand adults and children took part in a Walk of Light and carol service, the finale of the events to be staged in the town in the lead-up to Christmas.
The poignant procession, in memory of those who died in the August 15 bombing, culminated with carol singing around the Christmas tree at the front of the Courthouse, and included a hymn and a Blessing rendered in English, Irish and Spanish.
For some the journey was more difficult, as it was the first time that they had ventured into the town centre since the bombing, which robbed the town, Buncrana and Spain, of loved ones.
The event began at Drumragh Avenue car park, where those who braved the biting cold, were presented with candles, a gift from the people of Dublin.
Once lit, the majority of those who took part in the walk, slowly made their way out of the car park along Drumragh Avenue bridge, which in the late summer was lined with floral tributes to the dead and injured.
The gentle light of the candles was reflected in the water as the procession crossed the bridge, and added a Victorian feel to the event.
Relatives of those injured or killed, who found the prospect of walking along the main route into the bottom of Market Street too distressing, made their way to High Street via Bridge Street, and waited for those who made the journey past the site of the bombing.
The two groups then converged for the remainder of the walk to the front of the Courthouse where a simple carol service was held.
All of Omagh's main churches were represented at the service, in addition to staff from the Tara Centre and a children's choir.
The open-air congregation sang the carols, 'O Come All Ye Faithful', 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing', Away in a Manger', and 'O Little Town of Bethlehem', with the children leading in the first verse of 'Away in a Manger'.
The children's choir sang 'In the Bleak Mid Winter', conducted by Mrs. Sheena Herron.
The second and third verses of Silent Night were read in Spanish by Rhona Laverty, a teacher at the Christian Brothers Grammar School, and in Irish by Maura Twohig, from the Tara Centre.
The readings were by Rev. John Murdoch, First Omagh Presbyterian Church, Fr. Francis Murray, the parish priest of Killyclogher, Dr. Brendan McCarthy, Omagh Community Church, and Christine Nesbitt, a community relations officer with Omagh District Council.
The event was linked by Mary Daly from the Tara Centre.
The Blessing was in English by Rev. Peter Good, Omagh Methodist Church, in Irish by Fr. Michael Keavney, from the Sacred Heart Church, and in Spanish by Fr. Francis Barber, the Army Chaplain.
Speaking after the service, Fr. Kevin Mullan said it was a lovely experience, and was very picturesque for those at the top of High Street watching the procession make its way up the town.
"The walkers who passed through Market Street were obviously stopping at the bomb site, because they were coming up the town in waves, and when they met the families at Bridge Street it was a very touching moment," he said.
"It was just a plain and simple service, and just being there was the important thing," he said.
"I think what Mary Daly said that there is a lot of goodness in everybody here, and they were encouraged to move on and find the future together, and be together, was very appropriate. That was echoed by Rev. Robert Herron, who said when we do things together we find strength," Fr. Mullan said.
Caring mood
"There is a very caring mood in Omagh, we do care about each other, and even though we will be beginning a new year and getting back to doing normal things, we should always carry each other in our prayers and minds," he added.
Fr. Mullan went on to pay tribute to the Army chaplain, Fr. Francis Barber, whose final act of support for the people of Omagh was his participation in the Walk of Light and Carol Service before he moves to his next post.
"He was so good during the atrocity, performing all the work in the mortuary. He also wrote many of the prayers for the memorial service in the town centre," Fr. Mullan said.
The chaplain will be moving to Sandhurst Military Academy, and Fr. Mullan said the people of Omagh owed him a great debt of gratitude.
"He was always in the background and was a tower of strength to us all," Fr. Mullan said.
Rev. Robert Herron, minister of Trinity Presbyterian Church, said he was very pleased with the number of people that attended.
"The event drew people from right across the community, which was encouraging, and there was a reassurance there that what we had done was the right thing to do, and that it was something that the community wanted to do," he said.
"There was the whole idea of entering into Christmas together, as it were, and I found it a very solemn occasion. It was very still going past the bomb site," he said.
"We are keen for the deeper meaning of Christmas to come through, and after what has happened people are looking for deeper meaning as far as life is concerned, and that's what came through to me very strongly during the walk and carol service," Mr Herron added.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1303
Published Date: 23-Dec-98
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