BOMB MEMORIAL WORDING MUST TELL TRUTH OF WHAT HAPPENED
Bomb memorial wording must truth of what happened, say bereaved
by Karen McPhilemy
'THE truth of what happened in Omagh on August 15, 1998, must be told, and if it is not then we will make sure it is' - those were the words of Omagh Self Help and Support Group (OSHSG), who are in dispute with the Omagh Bomb Memorial Working Group, over the suggested wording for a memorial stone to commemorate those who died in the atrocity.
Members of OSHSG became embroiled in an ongoing dispute with the memorial committee last year, after the support group's suggested wording - 'To honour and remember 31 people murdered and hundreds injured from three nations by a dissident republican terrorist car bomb' - was rejected by the committee, which was set up by Omagh District Council. This led the two groups to part company.
However, after recent developments on the project which is to be completed by the 10th anniversary of the Omagh bomb on August 15, 2008, the chairman of OSHSG, Mr Michael Gallagher, who lost his son, Aidan, in the Real IRA attack, said their 'fight to have the truth told' is not over.
"What we believe as important is that the truth of the Omagh bombing goes on whatever piece of art work that is being erected in memory of our loved ones at the bomb site," he said.
"We have not been given that guarantee from the Omagh Bomb Working Memorial Group. We had been part of this group since it was established in 1999, but when it came to consultation our views were not respected.
"If we do not get the assurances we need regarding the wording of this memorial, we ourselves will mark the bomb site in a way that we find appropriate. It is not what we want to do, but unfortunately we feel that we will have no other choice."
On Friday, Omagh Bomb Memorial Working Group, chaired by Danny McSorley, chief executive of Omagh District Council, announced the appointment of an assessment panel responsible for selecting the successful design for the memorial that will be placed at the bomb site at Market Street.
In a statement the group, said: "The closing date for submission of stage one designs has now been reached and the assessment panel met on Wednesday last to assess stage one submissions and to shortlist the entries to those who would be invited to proceed to stage 2.
"Stage two designs will be placed on public display in Strule Arts Centre from Tuesday, July 3, to Friday, July 27.
"At the end of July the assessment panel will again meet to receive presentations from the shortlisted design teams and to select the winning design.
"The criteria for the stage two assessment includes the extent to which the proposal integrates the bomb site and the memorial garden; the overall artistic quality of the proposal; the cost of production and implementation of the project in relation to the budget; the potential of the proposal to promote healing and reflection; the potential of the proposal to make an impact with members of the public; health and safety; maintenance; and the previous experience of the design team as well as their ability to realise the concept."
Speaking on the developments, Mr Kevin Skelton, whose wife was also killed in the atrocity, said: "I am not really interested in what sort of team they have put together, or how much the plaque costs, so long as they put the writing that the families want on it.
"Plans for this memorial were moving along fine until it came to the wording. At that stage nobody wanted to know because the words 'murdered' and 'dissident republican' were chosen for inscription.
"If that wording is not on the memorial when it is erected on August 15, 2008, then another one with that wording will be put up the next day. All we want is to write the truth, but it appears that this memorial committee are not interested in that."
Responding to the comments made by OSHSG, a spokesperson of the Omagh Bomb Memorial Working Group, said: "The Omagh Memorial Working Group has not agreed any particular form of wording nor has it any preference for any particular form of wording. Design teams may propose a form of wording and all such proposals will be considered."
by Karen McPhilemy
'THE truth of what happened in Omagh on August 15, 1998, must be told, and if it is not then we will make sure it is' - those were the words of Omagh Self Help and Support Group (OSHSG), who are in dispute with the Omagh Bomb Memorial Working Group, over the suggested wording for a memorial stone to commemorate those who died in the atrocity.
Members of OSHSG became embroiled in an ongoing dispute with the memorial committee last year, after the support group's suggested wording - 'To honour and remember 31 people murdered and hundreds injured from three nations by a dissident republican terrorist car bomb' - was rejected by the committee, which was set up by Omagh District Council. This led the two groups to part company.
However, after recent developments on the project which is to be completed by the 10th anniversary of the Omagh bomb on August 15, 2008, the chairman of OSHSG, Mr Michael Gallagher, who lost his son, Aidan, in the Real IRA attack, said their 'fight to have the truth told' is not over.
"What we believe as important is that the truth of the Omagh bombing goes on whatever piece of art work that is being erected in memory of our loved ones at the bomb site," he said.
"We have not been given that guarantee from the Omagh Bomb Working Memorial Group. We had been part of this group since it was established in 1999, but when it came to consultation our views were not respected.
"If we do not get the assurances we need regarding the wording of this memorial, we ourselves will mark the bomb site in a way that we find appropriate. It is not what we want to do, but unfortunately we feel that we will have no other choice."
On Friday, Omagh Bomb Memorial Working Group, chaired by Danny McSorley, chief executive of Omagh District Council, announced the appointment of an assessment panel responsible for selecting the successful design for the memorial that will be placed at the bomb site at Market Street.
In a statement the group, said: "The closing date for submission of stage one designs has now been reached and the assessment panel met on Wednesday last to assess stage one submissions and to shortlist the entries to those who would be invited to proceed to stage 2.
"Stage two designs will be placed on public display in Strule Arts Centre from Tuesday, July 3, to Friday, July 27.
"At the end of July the assessment panel will again meet to receive presentations from the shortlisted design teams and to select the winning design.
"The criteria for the stage two assessment includes the extent to which the proposal integrates the bomb site and the memorial garden; the overall artistic quality of the proposal; the cost of production and implementation of the project in relation to the budget; the potential of the proposal to promote healing and reflection; the potential of the proposal to make an impact with members of the public; health and safety; maintenance; and the previous experience of the design team as well as their ability to realise the concept."
Speaking on the developments, Mr Kevin Skelton, whose wife was also killed in the atrocity, said: "I am not really interested in what sort of team they have put together, or how much the plaque costs, so long as they put the writing that the families want on it.
"Plans for this memorial were moving along fine until it came to the wording. At that stage nobody wanted to know because the words 'murdered' and 'dissident republican' were chosen for inscription.
"If that wording is not on the memorial when it is erected on August 15, 2008, then another one with that wording will be put up the next day. All we want is to write the truth, but it appears that this memorial committee are not interested in that."
Responding to the comments made by OSHSG, a spokesperson of the Omagh Bomb Memorial Working Group, said: "The Omagh Memorial Working Group has not agreed any particular form of wording nor has it any preference for any particular form of wording. Design teams may propose a form of wording and all such proposals will be considered."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1885
Published Date: 07-Jun-07
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