GROUNDBREAKING VICTIMS CONFERENCE IN OMAGH
Groundbreaking victims conference in Omagh
BY RYAN McALEER
OMAGH was the venue for a ground-breaking victims conference on Thursday that featured the remarkable stories of some high profile figures along with the heartfelt experiences of local people.
Held in the Silverbirch Hotel and organised by the Omagh Support and Self Help Group in conjunction with the Shared City Project, the storytelling conference heard from Terry Waite, Richard Moore and Baroness May Blood alongside 43 stories from local people affected by 43 years of the troubles in Ireland.
Describing the background to the event, Michael Gallagher, treasurer of the Omagh Self Help Group said, "This is the culmination of a project which started over a year ago bringing families together from Buncrana, Omagh, Claudy and Derry, who came together and told their stories. During that period they socialised and met informally and this is really the coming together of all of that tonight."
In a room adjacent to the main conference suite, filled with the personal accounts of 43 people from the last 43 years printed across banners, Mr Gallagher reflected, "What we have done here is create a safe space for people of all political and religious viewpoints to come together. We're seeing the common denominator here, which is that we have all suffered over the past 30-40 years, and it's to recognise that without putting any labels on anybody".
The group treasurer who has been the face of the Omagh bomb victims in their campaign for justice said, "Some of these people have lost loved ones and some of them through their own involvement have had their lives changed. Some see themselves as victims, some as survivors and some would see themselves as neither, but the events that they have experienced have shaped their lives and the lives of their families".
Describing the title of the conference, 'Remembering the past - Looking to the future', Mr Gallagher added, "That's very much the theme of what we are doing. We're making sure that we remember the past in a dignified way, but were also helping to educate young people about the suffering that went on over the period of the troubles and hopefully by doing that, they will not repeat the mistakes of the past.
"We're not dwelling on the past," he stressed, "But I think that always has to be an element, that we recognise the pain and the suffering that happened.
"But we're making sure there's a life after these events whether it be Omagh, Claudy, Derry or wherever, that people can go on to have a life and be supported".
Mr Gallagher added, "The message is not one of anger, it's a message of saying we have suffered, we want that to be recognised, but we also have a valuable contribution to make to civil society as victims."
BY RYAN McALEER
OMAGH was the venue for a ground-breaking victims conference on Thursday that featured the remarkable stories of some high profile figures along with the heartfelt experiences of local people.
Held in the Silverbirch Hotel and organised by the Omagh Support and Self Help Group in conjunction with the Shared City Project, the storytelling conference heard from Terry Waite, Richard Moore and Baroness May Blood alongside 43 stories from local people affected by 43 years of the troubles in Ireland.
Describing the background to the event, Michael Gallagher, treasurer of the Omagh Self Help Group said, "This is the culmination of a project which started over a year ago bringing families together from Buncrana, Omagh, Claudy and Derry, who came together and told their stories. During that period they socialised and met informally and this is really the coming together of all of that tonight."
In a room adjacent to the main conference suite, filled with the personal accounts of 43 people from the last 43 years printed across banners, Mr Gallagher reflected, "What we have done here is create a safe space for people of all political and religious viewpoints to come together. We're seeing the common denominator here, which is that we have all suffered over the past 30-40 years, and it's to recognise that without putting any labels on anybody".
The group treasurer who has been the face of the Omagh bomb victims in their campaign for justice said, "Some of these people have lost loved ones and some of them through their own involvement have had their lives changed. Some see themselves as victims, some as survivors and some would see themselves as neither, but the events that they have experienced have shaped their lives and the lives of their families".
Describing the title of the conference, 'Remembering the past - Looking to the future', Mr Gallagher added, "That's very much the theme of what we are doing. We're making sure that we remember the past in a dignified way, but were also helping to educate young people about the suffering that went on over the period of the troubles and hopefully by doing that, they will not repeat the mistakes of the past.
"We're not dwelling on the past," he stressed, "But I think that always has to be an element, that we recognise the pain and the suffering that happened.
"But we're making sure there's a life after these events whether it be Omagh, Claudy, Derry or wherever, that people can go on to have a life and be supported".
Mr Gallagher added, "The message is not one of anger, it's a message of saying we have suffered, we want that to be recognised, but we also have a valuable contribution to make to civil society as victims."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE HERALD
Ref: TYH/106
Published Date: 04-Apr-11
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