SCHOOLBOY'S FAMILY CAME TO IRELAND IN SEARCH OF A BETTER LIFE
Schoolboy's family came to Ireland in search of 'a better life'
THE family of a schoolboy, whose broken body was seen by millions being stretchered from the Omagh bomb site, had moved to Ireland in search of "a better life", it emerged today.
Solicitor, Victor Barker, and his wife Maria, had taken the decision, just over a year ago, to move their family from the crowded south east of England to the barren beauty of County Donegal.
To achieve his ideal, Mr Barker, 41, had been living a dual existence by continuing to run his legal practice in Chertsey, Surrey, and commuting at weekends to the new family home in the small town of Buncrana.
But that dream was shattered when the terrorist bomb ripped through Omagh's high street on Saturday afternoon, fatally injuring 12-year-old James Barker, who had travelled to the town for a day out with two Spanish exchange students.
Friends and colleagues who had known the family before they moved said Mr Barker and his wife, who is Irish, had wanted to give James the best quality of life while continuing to play active roles in their communities.
Despite the sacrifice of commuting hundreds of miles every week, Mr Barker had remained a committed member of his local district council. His elder daughter, Estelle, had continued to attend university in England.
Chris Norman, leader of Runnymede Borough Council, where Mr Barker had been a Conservative councillor since 1991, said: "They had moved to Ireland because they believed they would be able to get a better life out there.
"The surroundings were better, they were attracted by the schools and the chance for Maria to return home. But it involved a big sacrifice for all of them, with Victor still staying here to run his business.
"However, he was very committed to what he was doing, extremely hard-working and still carrying on his work with the council. What has happened is a dreadful and cruel tragedy."
James, a keen sportsman who had been due to start at a Belfast prep school next month, was seen on television screens across the world as he was stretchered unconscious from the rubble of the Omagh bombing.
He later died in hospital from his injuries along with Fernando Blasco, a Spanish exchange student who had been staying at the Barker home with his sister Uki, who suffered horrific head injuries in the blast.
Fernando's father Manuel, who flew to Omagh yesterday, was wounded in a 1992 ETA attack in Spain.
Mrs Barker said her son had known nothing of the tribal hatreds that cost him his life. She said: "He knew nothing about the divide and about religion.
"He once asked while watching a parade in Derry if it was a Chinese celebration. He didn't even know about the Orange Order. He was a smiling, loving boy with everything to live for."
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
THE family of a schoolboy, whose broken body was seen by millions being stretchered from the Omagh bomb site, had moved to Ireland in search of "a better life", it emerged today.
Solicitor, Victor Barker, and his wife Maria, had taken the decision, just over a year ago, to move their family from the crowded south east of England to the barren beauty of County Donegal.
To achieve his ideal, Mr Barker, 41, had been living a dual existence by continuing to run his legal practice in Chertsey, Surrey, and commuting at weekends to the new family home in the small town of Buncrana.
But that dream was shattered when the terrorist bomb ripped through Omagh's high street on Saturday afternoon, fatally injuring 12-year-old James Barker, who had travelled to the town for a day out with two Spanish exchange students.
Friends and colleagues who had known the family before they moved said Mr Barker and his wife, who is Irish, had wanted to give James the best quality of life while continuing to play active roles in their communities.
Despite the sacrifice of commuting hundreds of miles every week, Mr Barker had remained a committed member of his local district council. His elder daughter, Estelle, had continued to attend university in England.
Chris Norman, leader of Runnymede Borough Council, where Mr Barker had been a Conservative councillor since 1991, said: "They had moved to Ireland because they believed they would be able to get a better life out there.
"The surroundings were better, they were attracted by the schools and the chance for Maria to return home. But it involved a big sacrifice for all of them, with Victor still staying here to run his business.
"However, he was very committed to what he was doing, extremely hard-working and still carrying on his work with the council. What has happened is a dreadful and cruel tragedy."
James, a keen sportsman who had been due to start at a Belfast prep school next month, was seen on television screens across the world as he was stretchered unconscious from the rubble of the Omagh bombing.
He later died in hospital from his injuries along with Fernando Blasco, a Spanish exchange student who had been staying at the Barker home with his sister Uki, who suffered horrific head injuries in the blast.
Fernando's father Manuel, who flew to Omagh yesterday, was wounded in a 1992 ETA attack in Spain.
Mrs Barker said her son had known nothing of the tribal hatreds that cost him his life. She said: "He knew nothing about the divide and about religion.
"He once asked while watching a parade in Derry if it was a Chinese celebration. He didn't even know about the Orange Order. He was a smiling, loving boy with everything to live for."
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
Further Information
Publisher: THE EXAMINER
Ref: TEX/048
Published Date: 18-Aug-98
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