OMAGH MARKS EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY BOMB ATROCITY
Omagh marks eighth anniversary of bomb atrocity
BY ROSETTA DONNELLY
ABOUT 200 people attended a ceremony in Omagh yesterday to mark the eighth anniversary of the Omagh bomb. The service, which began at 3pm was a mixture of prayer, singing and laying of flowers.
Just before the ceremony, families of the 31 people who were killed and of all those who were injured, arrived laden with flowers to place in the garden.
A poignant moment was when Lawrence Rush arrived with this granddaughter, Libbi Rose who was born on August 16 and is named after his late wife, Elizabeth (Libbi) Rush. Lawrence said, "She is not replacing my wife but she is taking her place".
The Taioseach had sent along his representative Brendan Smyth and his wife Ann and on behalf of the British government, David Cairns attended.
And three people from Croatia, who had suffered as a result of the conflict there, were also present.
Michael Gallagher, chairman of the Omagh Families Support Group, got the service underway by welcoming all present and especially those who had come from far away.
Then Rev William Seale read a psalm which was followed by a reflection by Fr Kevin Mullan, called The God of Dark Waters. This was followed by a hymn, The Ole Rugged Cross, sung by Leslie Mathews.
In memory of the two Spanish people who were killed in the bomb, Nicholas Cassidy of the Omagh Ethnic Support group read a poem in Spanish and the English translation also.
Another gospel reading by Fr Neil Farren was followed by the reading of the role of honour.
Those killed were: James Barker, Fernando Blasco Baselga, Geraldine Breslin, Debra Ann Cartwright, Gareth Conway, Breda Devine, Oran Doherty, Aiden Gallagher, Esther Gibson, Mary Grimes, Olive Hawkes, Julia Hughes, Brenda Logue, Jolene Marlow, Avril Monaghan and unborn twins, Maura Monaghan, Anne McCombe, Brian McCrory, Sean McGrath, Samantha McFarland, Sean McLaughlin, Alan Radford, Rocio Abad Ramos, Elizabeth Rush, Philomena Skelton, Veda Short, Brian White, Fred White and Lorraine Wilson.
A further reading was by Rev M Roemelle followed by the hymn Forever Friend.
Before the closing,, the Our Father was read in English and in Irish by the Pax Christi group, some of whom had travelled from Cork.
Drawing the proceedings to a close, Michael Gallagher invited the families and those who had travelled some distance to go to the library for refreshments.
BY ROSETTA DONNELLY
ABOUT 200 people attended a ceremony in Omagh yesterday to mark the eighth anniversary of the Omagh bomb. The service, which began at 3pm was a mixture of prayer, singing and laying of flowers.
Just before the ceremony, families of the 31 people who were killed and of all those who were injured, arrived laden with flowers to place in the garden.
A poignant moment was when Lawrence Rush arrived with this granddaughter, Libbi Rose who was born on August 16 and is named after his late wife, Elizabeth (Libbi) Rush. Lawrence said, "She is not replacing my wife but she is taking her place".
The Taioseach had sent along his representative Brendan Smyth and his wife Ann and on behalf of the British government, David Cairns attended.
And three people from Croatia, who had suffered as a result of the conflict there, were also present.
Michael Gallagher, chairman of the Omagh Families Support Group, got the service underway by welcoming all present and especially those who had come from far away.
Then Rev William Seale read a psalm which was followed by a reflection by Fr Kevin Mullan, called The God of Dark Waters. This was followed by a hymn, The Ole Rugged Cross, sung by Leslie Mathews.
In memory of the two Spanish people who were killed in the bomb, Nicholas Cassidy of the Omagh Ethnic Support group read a poem in Spanish and the English translation also.
Another gospel reading by Fr Neil Farren was followed by the reading of the role of honour.
Those killed were: James Barker, Fernando Blasco Baselga, Geraldine Breslin, Debra Ann Cartwright, Gareth Conway, Breda Devine, Oran Doherty, Aiden Gallagher, Esther Gibson, Mary Grimes, Olive Hawkes, Julia Hughes, Brenda Logue, Jolene Marlow, Avril Monaghan and unborn twins, Maura Monaghan, Anne McCombe, Brian McCrory, Sean McGrath, Samantha McFarland, Sean McLaughlin, Alan Radford, Rocio Abad Ramos, Elizabeth Rush, Philomena Skelton, Veda Short, Brian White, Fred White and Lorraine Wilson.
A further reading was by Rev M Roemelle followed by the hymn Forever Friend.
Before the closing,, the Our Father was read in English and in Irish by the Pax Christi group, some of whom had travelled from Cork.
Drawing the proceedings to a close, Michael Gallagher invited the families and those who had travelled some distance to go to the library for refreshments.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE HERALD
Ref: TYH/037
Published Date: 14-Aug-06
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