WHITE HOUSE DATE FOR BOMB VICTIM CLAIRE
White House date for bomb Victim claire
ALTHOUGH Washington's St Patrick's Day celebrations were overshadowed by the murder of Lurgan solicitor, Rosemary Nelson, March 17, 1999, will linger in the memory of one Omagh teenager.
Claire Gallagher, who was blinded in the Market Street bombing, played piano for President Bill Clinton and the First Lady, Hillary, in the White House yesterday (Wednesday).
Attending the annual event were politicians from all over Northern Ireland, the Republic and the United States.
Claire's invitation came from the Londonderry singer/songwriter Phil Coulter, who contacted the Gallagher family home on Monday last.
Mrs Marie Gallagher, Claire's mother, said the entire family was delighted with the news.
"Phil Coulter rang on Monday night to ask Claire to perform with himself and James Galway at the St Patrick's Day celebrations in the White House. It was totally out of the blue and Claire is absolutely delighted. It will be a real boost for her," she said.
The suggestion that Claire perform in the White House first came from Mrs Clinton, when the First Lady requested a top secret meeting with her in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast on September 3.
Mrs Clinton told Claire it was a privilege to meet her and said: "You'll have to come to play at the White House,"
Claire was also at the Leisure Centre in Omagh for President Clinton's visit with the rest of the bereaved and injured.
And when she was brought up to the front to meet the President he said: "So this is Claire that Hillary has been telling me about."
Mrs Gallagher revealed that her daughter had been practising for her performance on her state-of-the-art keyboard which was an early Christmas present from the chart-topping group Boyzone.
The Irish boy band took time out of their hectic touring schedule to bring the gift to Claire in November.
She received tuition to learn how to use the complex music system, which includes a piano keyboard and talking computer that prints out a musical score.
"Now she is flying on that machine, and it has proved absolutely essential for her music studies," said Mrs Gallagher.
But before she left Omagh, Mrs Gallagher said the family would remain unaffected by the excitement of events in Washington.
"We certainly won't let it go to our heads. We have been through too much," she said.
ALTHOUGH Washington's St Patrick's Day celebrations were overshadowed by the murder of Lurgan solicitor, Rosemary Nelson, March 17, 1999, will linger in the memory of one Omagh teenager.
Claire Gallagher, who was blinded in the Market Street bombing, played piano for President Bill Clinton and the First Lady, Hillary, in the White House yesterday (Wednesday).
Attending the annual event were politicians from all over Northern Ireland, the Republic and the United States.
Claire's invitation came from the Londonderry singer/songwriter Phil Coulter, who contacted the Gallagher family home on Monday last.
Mrs Marie Gallagher, Claire's mother, said the entire family was delighted with the news.
"Phil Coulter rang on Monday night to ask Claire to perform with himself and James Galway at the St Patrick's Day celebrations in the White House. It was totally out of the blue and Claire is absolutely delighted. It will be a real boost for her," she said.
The suggestion that Claire perform in the White House first came from Mrs Clinton, when the First Lady requested a top secret meeting with her in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast on September 3.
Mrs Clinton told Claire it was a privilege to meet her and said: "You'll have to come to play at the White House,"
Claire was also at the Leisure Centre in Omagh for President Clinton's visit with the rest of the bereaved and injured.
And when she was brought up to the front to meet the President he said: "So this is Claire that Hillary has been telling me about."
Mrs Gallagher revealed that her daughter had been practising for her performance on her state-of-the-art keyboard which was an early Christmas present from the chart-topping group Boyzone.
The Irish boy band took time out of their hectic touring schedule to bring the gift to Claire in November.
She received tuition to learn how to use the complex music system, which includes a piano keyboard and talking computer that prints out a musical score.
"Now she is flying on that machine, and it has proved absolutely essential for her music studies," said Mrs Gallagher.
But before she left Omagh, Mrs Gallagher said the family would remain unaffected by the excitement of events in Washington.
"We certainly won't let it go to our heads. We have been through too much," she said.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1327
Published Date: 18-Mar-99
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