THREE GENERATIONS OF FAMILY DIED TOGETHER
Three generations of family died together
A BERAGH woman, her pregnant daughter, granddaughter and unborn twin great granddaughters perished side by side as they left a clothing shop at the exact moment the 300lb car bomb detonated. On hearing the harrowing evidence of their deaths and terrible injuries to Mary Grimes, Avril Monaghan, Maura Monaghan and the unborn twins, the coroner, Mr. John Leckey commented: "I cannot think, looking back over 30 years of Troubles and atrocities, of another family who have suffered the sort of loss that this family before me has suffered.
"A grandmother, daughter and granddaughter, and two healthy unborn twins at 34 weeks gestation, all murdered in an instant by this atrocity.
"Sometimes you can say to a family with the passage of time they may be able to cope once again, but in this case there's a big hurdle for the family to overcome.
"I am told within the family there is a lot of support. Surely that fact must be of the highest importance. I hope through this support the family will eventually be able to return to some semblance of normality," Mr. Leckey said.
He went on to extend his deepest sympathy to the family and added that his comments were with complete outrage that this outrage should have happened to them.
Mr. Barry Fox, who represented the Monaghan family, thanked the coroner for his very sincere and generous remarks.
At the outset of the evidence Mrs. Gemma Loughran, presenting evidence for the coroner, said it had been agreed all should be heard together as the women and children had died together. Mr. Fox also concurred that he thought it was the proper way to deal with the Inquests.
He also told the Coroner's Court that he hoped to have an outline argument submitted in respect of the twins and their identity as individuals submitted for consideration by tomorrow (Friday), for consideration by the coroner.
Mr. Fox said he might also seek input from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
The coroner told Mr. Fox that such contact had been done on his behalf.
Mr. James Quinn told the inquest that he had lived in Omagh since 1975 and had been in Omagh playing bowls when the bomb detonated.
He said he ran into town, and upon arrival found the scene was one of chaos.
He said he saw a pregnant woman lying on her back with a child beside her and he went to the child first but realised the little one was dead.
He said there was another dead woman on the footpath and when he came back onto the street he saw a young man he knew.
After that he said he was asked to keep talking to another man to help keep him conscious. He believed that person to be Mr. Sean McGrath, and he told how the injured man, who was in a bad way, was helped onto a bus to be taken to hospital.
Coroner: "You saw dreadful things".
Mr. Quinn: "It was very bad, yes".
Mrs. Carol Grimes told the inquest that she last saw her mother-in-law, Mrs. Mary Grimes, at the Grimes' family home.
She described what Mrs. Grimes had been wearing and said that Mrs. Grimes, her daughter and granddaughter were going into town at about 2pm.
Mrs. Margaret Alice Lakeman told the inquest that she went into town to visit a friend in a beauty salon. On her way to the salon she said she overheard a woman telling a child that she intended taking the child home due to the bomb scare.
Mrs. Lakeman said she went to Moira's fashions and could see the police cordon. The street was crowded and she decided to walk back to the car park at the rear of the supermarket.
In the entry leading to the car park she passed a pregnant woman, a young child and an older woman, and she told them there was a bomb. They went on and she continued down the entry.
She added that when she got to the cycle shop there was a tremendous bang.
In a statement read to the inquest Mrs. Sharon Jean Robinson said that she had been working in Kells and had spoken to a pregnant woman, an older lady and a child, telling them there was a bomb scare, and the three people were leaving the shop when the car bomb detonated.
She said the expectant woman was carrying the young child over her shoulder on leaving the shop.
Mrs. Robinson said that she felt herself being blasted back, but she still managed to get up and help two people out of the back of the shop. She said she counted the bodies of nine dead people.
"A policeman or fireman came into the shop and told me there was nothing more we could do and to leave," she said.
Mr. Timothy Grimes said he identified his sister and niece, as well as his mother, at Lisanelly Army Barracks.
He told the coroner that the family was coping well and were supporting each other.
Referring to post-mortem examination of Mrs. Avril Monaghan, Professor Jack Crane said that the lady was 34 weeks pregnant when she died in the bomb. He said her death was due to multiple injuries sustained in the bomb, and included an injury to her uterus. He said her injuries would have caused rapid death.
In cross-examination by Mr. Fox, he said that there was a possibility that the infant twin girls could have lived for minutes after their mother died, but their lives were dependent on their mother.
He added that the twins were not injured, and when pressed, said that if an emergency operation had been carried out infants in such a case, there was a possibility that the infants could have survived.
The Professor said that the cause of death in relation to Mrs. Grimes was also due to multiple injuries caused by the bomb. She suffered severe head and internal injuries, which caused her to die almost immediately.
The post-mortem carried out by Dr. Derek Carson on little Maura Monaghan also concluded that the child had died of multiple injuries. The injuries were such that they caused immediate death.
On hearing the cause of death, the coroner commented that the important point was that the child felt nothing.
"This wee girl would have known nothing about it," he said.
A BERAGH woman, her pregnant daughter, granddaughter and unborn twin great granddaughters perished side by side as they left a clothing shop at the exact moment the 300lb car bomb detonated. On hearing the harrowing evidence of their deaths and terrible injuries to Mary Grimes, Avril Monaghan, Maura Monaghan and the unborn twins, the coroner, Mr. John Leckey commented: "I cannot think, looking back over 30 years of Troubles and atrocities, of another family who have suffered the sort of loss that this family before me has suffered.
"A grandmother, daughter and granddaughter, and two healthy unborn twins at 34 weeks gestation, all murdered in an instant by this atrocity.
"Sometimes you can say to a family with the passage of time they may be able to cope once again, but in this case there's a big hurdle for the family to overcome.
"I am told within the family there is a lot of support. Surely that fact must be of the highest importance. I hope through this support the family will eventually be able to return to some semblance of normality," Mr. Leckey said.
He went on to extend his deepest sympathy to the family and added that his comments were with complete outrage that this outrage should have happened to them.
Mr. Barry Fox, who represented the Monaghan family, thanked the coroner for his very sincere and generous remarks.
At the outset of the evidence Mrs. Gemma Loughran, presenting evidence for the coroner, said it had been agreed all should be heard together as the women and children had died together. Mr. Fox also concurred that he thought it was the proper way to deal with the Inquests.
He also told the Coroner's Court that he hoped to have an outline argument submitted in respect of the twins and their identity as individuals submitted for consideration by tomorrow (Friday), for consideration by the coroner.
Mr. Fox said he might also seek input from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
The coroner told Mr. Fox that such contact had been done on his behalf.
Mr. James Quinn told the inquest that he had lived in Omagh since 1975 and had been in Omagh playing bowls when the bomb detonated.
He said he ran into town, and upon arrival found the scene was one of chaos.
He said he saw a pregnant woman lying on her back with a child beside her and he went to the child first but realised the little one was dead.
He said there was another dead woman on the footpath and when he came back onto the street he saw a young man he knew.
After that he said he was asked to keep talking to another man to help keep him conscious. He believed that person to be Mr. Sean McGrath, and he told how the injured man, who was in a bad way, was helped onto a bus to be taken to hospital.
Coroner: "You saw dreadful things".
Mr. Quinn: "It was very bad, yes".
Mrs. Carol Grimes told the inquest that she last saw her mother-in-law, Mrs. Mary Grimes, at the Grimes' family home.
She described what Mrs. Grimes had been wearing and said that Mrs. Grimes, her daughter and granddaughter were going into town at about 2pm.
Mrs. Margaret Alice Lakeman told the inquest that she went into town to visit a friend in a beauty salon. On her way to the salon she said she overheard a woman telling a child that she intended taking the child home due to the bomb scare.
Mrs. Lakeman said she went to Moira's fashions and could see the police cordon. The street was crowded and she decided to walk back to the car park at the rear of the supermarket.
In the entry leading to the car park she passed a pregnant woman, a young child and an older woman, and she told them there was a bomb. They went on and she continued down the entry.
She added that when she got to the cycle shop there was a tremendous bang.
In a statement read to the inquest Mrs. Sharon Jean Robinson said that she had been working in Kells and had spoken to a pregnant woman, an older lady and a child, telling them there was a bomb scare, and the three people were leaving the shop when the car bomb detonated.
She said the expectant woman was carrying the young child over her shoulder on leaving the shop.
Mrs. Robinson said that she felt herself being blasted back, but she still managed to get up and help two people out of the back of the shop. She said she counted the bodies of nine dead people.
"A policeman or fireman came into the shop and told me there was nothing more we could do and to leave," she said.
Mr. Timothy Grimes said he identified his sister and niece, as well as his mother, at Lisanelly Army Barracks.
He told the coroner that the family was coping well and were supporting each other.
Referring to post-mortem examination of Mrs. Avril Monaghan, Professor Jack Crane said that the lady was 34 weeks pregnant when she died in the bomb. He said her death was due to multiple injuries sustained in the bomb, and included an injury to her uterus. He said her injuries would have caused rapid death.
In cross-examination by Mr. Fox, he said that there was a possibility that the infant twin girls could have lived for minutes after their mother died, but their lives were dependent on their mother.
He added that the twins were not injured, and when pressed, said that if an emergency operation had been carried out infants in such a case, there was a possibility that the infants could have survived.
The Professor said that the cause of death in relation to Mrs. Grimes was also due to multiple injuries caused by the bomb. She suffered severe head and internal injuries, which caused her to die almost immediately.
The post-mortem carried out by Dr. Derek Carson on little Maura Monaghan also concluded that the child had died of multiple injuries. The injuries were such that they caused immediate death.
On hearing the cause of death, the coroner commented that the important point was that the child felt nothing.
"This wee girl would have known nothing about it," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1549
Published Date: 21-Sep-00
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