AHERN TELLS OF GRIEF HE HAS WITNESSED SINCE BOMBING
Ahern tells of grief he has witnessed since bombing
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today talked about the moment he heard of the bombing that prompted him to introduce the toughest anti-terrorist measures in the history of the state.
Mr Ahern said his two teenage daughters had been in tears when they watched television coverage of the outrage.
He said his hardest moment since the explosion had been when he visited the Co Donegal homes of three young child victims from the town of Buncrana and saw their coffins.
"To see these kids, their families and friends and the wailing and the suffering they were going through ....
"It brings home to you the mercilessness of what happened."
Mr Ahern is due to attend the memorial event in Omagh tomorrow for the 28 victims of the blast, together with former Taoiseach John Bruton and President Mary McAleese. The Taoiseach recalled how the story "just kept getting worse and worse," after the Real IRA terror group set off their bomb in the Co Tyrone town on Saturday afternoon.
Mr Ahern, appearing on RTE radio one's "Liveline" show, was asked about his threat to "crush" the group responsible in a statement issued shortly after the outrage. He said: "I have to say that it was the way I felt. All year we knew we were up against difficult and dangerous people. All the time the intelligence was that they were organising around the country.
"As I understand it the bomb made last week was from the same bomb-maker as in an attempted attack on Banbridge, and a few more as well. There were about nine others we were lucky enough to get."
Mr Ahern, who this week unveiled a package of laws to curb terrorism that he called "draconian", said he had been working on papers in his constituency office when he was told of the bombing by his security guard who had heard an early police message about the incident.
"When you hear there is a bomb, it is bad enough. But I knew immediately it was big trouble. Later I was told it was really, really bad. I think we can hunt down a lot of these people responsible. I think a sense of justice might be improved a hell of a lot if the individuals who are behind this are caught."
The bereaved relatives he has met have told him "to keep at it, keep trying, don't give up"
The Taoiseach added: "It takes heart to say that. "You would understand them if they nearly caught your throat and said 'why is it not all stopped?' "I would have understood it if somebody had read the riot act to me. "But that is not what they were saying. They were saying people have to keep on working to end this for good."
Mr Ahern said he hoped everyone in Ireland would "give a few minutes" to honour all of the victims of the Ulster troubles tomorrow and observe one minute's silence at 3.10pm - the moment last Saturday the bomb went off.
He added: "Once again we were the world news for the wrong reason. "We must show the world we are not that type of people.
"Only some are and we have to resolve the legal position with them."
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today talked about the moment he heard of the bombing that prompted him to introduce the toughest anti-terrorist measures in the history of the state.
Mr Ahern said his two teenage daughters had been in tears when they watched television coverage of the outrage.
He said his hardest moment since the explosion had been when he visited the Co Donegal homes of three young child victims from the town of Buncrana and saw their coffins.
"To see these kids, their families and friends and the wailing and the suffering they were going through ....
"It brings home to you the mercilessness of what happened."
Mr Ahern is due to attend the memorial event in Omagh tomorrow for the 28 victims of the blast, together with former Taoiseach John Bruton and President Mary McAleese. The Taoiseach recalled how the story "just kept getting worse and worse," after the Real IRA terror group set off their bomb in the Co Tyrone town on Saturday afternoon.
Mr Ahern, appearing on RTE radio one's "Liveline" show, was asked about his threat to "crush" the group responsible in a statement issued shortly after the outrage. He said: "I have to say that it was the way I felt. All year we knew we were up against difficult and dangerous people. All the time the intelligence was that they were organising around the country.
"As I understand it the bomb made last week was from the same bomb-maker as in an attempted attack on Banbridge, and a few more as well. There were about nine others we were lucky enough to get."
Mr Ahern, who this week unveiled a package of laws to curb terrorism that he called "draconian", said he had been working on papers in his constituency office when he was told of the bombing by his security guard who had heard an early police message about the incident.
"When you hear there is a bomb, it is bad enough. But I knew immediately it was big trouble. Later I was told it was really, really bad. I think we can hunt down a lot of these people responsible. I think a sense of justice might be improved a hell of a lot if the individuals who are behind this are caught."
The bereaved relatives he has met have told him "to keep at it, keep trying, don't give up"
The Taoiseach added: "It takes heart to say that. "You would understand them if they nearly caught your throat and said 'why is it not all stopped?' "I would have understood it if somebody had read the riot act to me. "But that is not what they were saying. They were saying people have to keep on working to end this for good."
Mr Ahern said he hoped everyone in Ireland would "give a few minutes" to honour all of the victims of the Ulster troubles tomorrow and observe one minute's silence at 3.10pm - the moment last Saturday the bomb went off.
He added: "Once again we were the world news for the wrong reason. "We must show the world we are not that type of people.
"Only some are and we have to resolve the legal position with them."
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
Further Information
Publisher: THE EXAMINER
Ref: TEX/139
Published Date: 22-Aug-98
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