YOUNG FOOTBALLER STAR WALKED PAST BOMB
Young football star walked past bomb
LIKE so many others on Saturday, a split second decision was the reason a young Omagh footballer was almost certainly saved from serious injury as he walked around town with his friends.
Speaking from the Erne Hospital where he was airlifted by helicopter after receiving a number of shrapnel wounds to his leg, Niall McSorley, 22, said he had been standing at Slevin's Chemist and was just about to go back into town when the bomb went off. The St. Enda's footballer, who also plays soccer for Kevlin United, was due to play in the semi-final of the Tyrone Championship on Sunday when he was injured..
"I had been up at the Courthouse earlier on and heard there was a bomb so I decided to head down to Campsie and I actually walked past the bomb about two minutes before it went off. I headed back towards town and was waiting to cross the road outside Slevin's but the light was red so I couldn't cross and that's what saved me," he said.
When the bomb exploded, Niall said he was shaken by the vibration of the blast and at first did not realise the extent of his injuries.
"I thought I was okay and didn't know that I was hurt badly until my friend told me to come back to the flat with him so he could get me cleared up. I looked up towards the town and all I could see was childrens' prams all over the place.
"I kept thinking I was alright and that I would be still be able to play football on Sunday and I wanted to go back to my house so my mother, who's a nurse, could treat me because I thought that it was only a wee cut" he said.
However, he was taken to the Tyrone County and was then moved by helicopter to Enniskillen. Niall's wounds required stitches and drainage and his mother said that he would also need physiotherapy before he would be able to leave hospital.
Despite his ordeal the young footballer was in good spirits and chatted with the First Minister, David Trimble who visited the Erne Hospital on Monday, along with Mo Mowlam and the Bishop of Derry, Seamus Hegarty.
LIKE so many others on Saturday, a split second decision was the reason a young Omagh footballer was almost certainly saved from serious injury as he walked around town with his friends.
Speaking from the Erne Hospital where he was airlifted by helicopter after receiving a number of shrapnel wounds to his leg, Niall McSorley, 22, said he had been standing at Slevin's Chemist and was just about to go back into town when the bomb went off. The St. Enda's footballer, who also plays soccer for Kevlin United, was due to play in the semi-final of the Tyrone Championship on Sunday when he was injured..
"I had been up at the Courthouse earlier on and heard there was a bomb so I decided to head down to Campsie and I actually walked past the bomb about two minutes before it went off. I headed back towards town and was waiting to cross the road outside Slevin's but the light was red so I couldn't cross and that's what saved me," he said.
When the bomb exploded, Niall said he was shaken by the vibration of the blast and at first did not realise the extent of his injuries.
"I thought I was okay and didn't know that I was hurt badly until my friend told me to come back to the flat with him so he could get me cleared up. I looked up towards the town and all I could see was childrens' prams all over the place.
"I kept thinking I was alright and that I would be still be able to play football on Sunday and I wanted to go back to my house so my mother, who's a nurse, could treat me because I thought that it was only a wee cut" he said.
However, he was taken to the Tyrone County and was then moved by helicopter to Enniskillen. Niall's wounds required stitches and drainage and his mother said that he would also need physiotherapy before he would be able to leave hospital.
Despite his ordeal the young footballer was in good spirits and chatted with the First Minister, David Trimble who visited the Erne Hospital on Monday, along with Mo Mowlam and the Bishop of Derry, Seamus Hegarty.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0036
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
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