NEW YORK FIREFIGHTERS PAY EMOTIONAL VISIT TO OMAGH
New York firefighters pay emotional visit to Omagh
BY NIGEL MCDONAGH
A GROUP of New York firefighters who lost colleagues in the September 11th attacks received a welcome as warm as the Bank Holiday sunshine when they took time off from their hectic tour of Ireland to pay a brief visit to Omagh on Monday afternoon.
The group of more than 70 firefighters is touring the Republic of Ireland to visit families and birthplaces of firefighters lost or injured when terrorists destroyed the World Trade Centre buildings last September One firefighter who died on that tragic day was Michael Lyons, whose mother originally came from Mountjoy. The New York firefighters, some of whom had known and worked with Michael, had an emotional meeting with members of the Taggart family from Mountjoy who are close relatives of Michael.
The firefighters' visit to Omagh was the result of months of hard work by former fireman and local Independent Councillor Paddy McGowan.
It was their only stop in the North as the firemen wanted to pay respects Michael's family and to those killed or injured in the Omagh bomb.
Such is the popularity of their visit to these shores that the firefighters arrived in Omagh two hours behind schedule due to massive crowds on the streets of Carrickmacross and Monaghan where they were visiting on Monday morning.
Their first port-of-call at Omagh was to the Ulster American Folk Park where they received a quick meal before touring Omagh town centre. There the firefighters, accompanied by five pipers and two drummers, paid an emotional visit to the site of the bomb and the Garden of Remembrance where they played hymns.
The visitors then moved on to Omagh Fire Station to meet colleagues from Omagh, Strabane and Fintona.
The firefighters received a special plaque from District Commander Bobby Harpur and also presented Omagh Fire Station with a plaque.
Finally, the group received refreshments at the Leisure Centre where they were presented with a plaque by the Chairman of Omagh District Council, Barry McElduff.
Paddy McGowan, who worked with the fire service in Omagh for 25 years, said that Omagh was lucky to have received such a prestigious visit and hailed the day as a "tremendous success".
"It is hard to belief that the New York firefighters were here because they would have been welcome in any town in the North. It was a great day and the people of Omagh were delighted to see them and made them feel very welcome," he said.
Bill Whelan, President of the Fire Department Emerald Society in New York, said that the firefighters wanted to come to Omagh and also meet with their local colleagues because of the horrific tragedies both communities experienced at the hands of terrorists.
"Firefighter's across the world belong to a unique group and we wanted to come to Omagh because we know the people here have experienced a tremendous suffering like the tragedy we had in New York. We know exactly what the people here went through and this is a sign of our support for them," he said.
BY NIGEL MCDONAGH
A GROUP of New York firefighters who lost colleagues in the September 11th attacks received a welcome as warm as the Bank Holiday sunshine when they took time off from their hectic tour of Ireland to pay a brief visit to Omagh on Monday afternoon.
The group of more than 70 firefighters is touring the Republic of Ireland to visit families and birthplaces of firefighters lost or injured when terrorists destroyed the World Trade Centre buildings last September One firefighter who died on that tragic day was Michael Lyons, whose mother originally came from Mountjoy. The New York firefighters, some of whom had known and worked with Michael, had an emotional meeting with members of the Taggart family from Mountjoy who are close relatives of Michael.
The firefighters' visit to Omagh was the result of months of hard work by former fireman and local Independent Councillor Paddy McGowan.
It was their only stop in the North as the firemen wanted to pay respects Michael's family and to those killed or injured in the Omagh bomb.
Such is the popularity of their visit to these shores that the firefighters arrived in Omagh two hours behind schedule due to massive crowds on the streets of Carrickmacross and Monaghan where they were visiting on Monday morning.
Their first port-of-call at Omagh was to the Ulster American Folk Park where they received a quick meal before touring Omagh town centre. There the firefighters, accompanied by five pipers and two drummers, paid an emotional visit to the site of the bomb and the Garden of Remembrance where they played hymns.
The visitors then moved on to Omagh Fire Station to meet colleagues from Omagh, Strabane and Fintona.
The firefighters received a special plaque from District Commander Bobby Harpur and also presented Omagh Fire Station with a plaque.
Finally, the group received refreshments at the Leisure Centre where they were presented with a plaque by the Chairman of Omagh District Council, Barry McElduff.
Paddy McGowan, who worked with the fire service in Omagh for 25 years, said that Omagh was lucky to have received such a prestigious visit and hailed the day as a "tremendous success".
"It is hard to belief that the New York firefighters were here because they would have been welcome in any town in the North. It was a great day and the people of Omagh were delighted to see them and made them feel very welcome," he said.
Bill Whelan, President of the Fire Department Emerald Society in New York, said that the firefighters wanted to come to Omagh and also meet with their local colleagues because of the horrific tragedies both communities experienced at the hands of terrorists.
"Firefighter's across the world belong to a unique group and we wanted to come to Omagh because we know the people here have experienced a tremendous suffering like the tragedy we had in New York. We know exactly what the people here went through and this is a sign of our support for them," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1014
Published Date: 09-May-02
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