BEREAVED OVERLOOKED AS IMPORTANT PEOPLE GET TO MEET THE QUEEN
Bereaved overlooked as 'important people' get to meet queen
BY ADRIAN MULLAN
THERE was disappointment and anger on Tuesday when it emerged that during the Queen's visit to Omagh as part of the Golden Jubilee Tour, none of the relatives of the Omagh bombing had been selected to meet the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in Omagh.
Local senior public servants, members of the Chamber of Commerce, members of 2010 Taskforce, and the local clergy were all invited to the Omagh Library for the occasion.
However, in the hour or so before the royal cortege arrived on the Dublin Road, Godfrey and Anne Wilson stood outside in the rain along with so many well-wishers. The couple's 15 year-old daughter Lorraine was one of thirty one people murdered in the Real IRA blast and they could not disguise their disappointment at not having been invited to the event at the library or to either of the garden parties afterwards at Loughrey College, or Hillsborough.
Speaking to the UIster Herald Godfrey commented, "Those people inside are important people and they are entitled to meet the Queen, but I'm disappointed nevertheless.
"I think she would understand our loss having lost her own mother and sister."
He continued, "Neither the Council, nor the Chamber or Commerce, nor the NIO were in touch, maybe I'm expecting too much as a bereaved father. Life goes on and we are four years down the line Lorraine would have been 19 now. She's still a part of our lives. A lot of people expect you to move on but it's not that easy."
Mrs Wilson commented, "All of the bereaved families should have been invited to the garden parties. The bereaved families were not invited but Sinn Fein/IRA were."
An NIO oficial had explained at a press briefing that there where no plans for the Queen to meet bereaved relatives in Omagh, but that representatives of bereaved relatives would be at the garden parties.
Michael Gallagher, Chairman of the Omagh Self Help and Support group, phoned the Northern Ireland Office yesterday to register his anger at the fact that neither the site of the bombing nor the Garden of Remembrance were on the Queen's itinerary.
It is believed his call may have been a significant factor in the decision to include a visit to the bomb site.
Mr Gallagher who met the Queen at the Loughrey College Garden party later said that had the Queen not visited the bomb-site the incident would have cast a shadow over the visit.
He blamed advisers who set the itinerary and commented, "There seems to be a movement in Northern Ireland to try to ignore the past. It would be nice if members of the royal family came back and just visited victims.
Whilst at Omagh Library the Queen was given a short presentation on the Omagh 2010 'vision' an economic and infrastructural plan for Omagh.
BY ADRIAN MULLAN
THERE was disappointment and anger on Tuesday when it emerged that during the Queen's visit to Omagh as part of the Golden Jubilee Tour, none of the relatives of the Omagh bombing had been selected to meet the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in Omagh.
Local senior public servants, members of the Chamber of Commerce, members of 2010 Taskforce, and the local clergy were all invited to the Omagh Library for the occasion.
However, in the hour or so before the royal cortege arrived on the Dublin Road, Godfrey and Anne Wilson stood outside in the rain along with so many well-wishers. The couple's 15 year-old daughter Lorraine was one of thirty one people murdered in the Real IRA blast and they could not disguise their disappointment at not having been invited to the event at the library or to either of the garden parties afterwards at Loughrey College, or Hillsborough.
Speaking to the UIster Herald Godfrey commented, "Those people inside are important people and they are entitled to meet the Queen, but I'm disappointed nevertheless.
"I think she would understand our loss having lost her own mother and sister."
He continued, "Neither the Council, nor the Chamber or Commerce, nor the NIO were in touch, maybe I'm expecting too much as a bereaved father. Life goes on and we are four years down the line Lorraine would have been 19 now. She's still a part of our lives. A lot of people expect you to move on but it's not that easy."
Mrs Wilson commented, "All of the bereaved families should have been invited to the garden parties. The bereaved families were not invited but Sinn Fein/IRA were."
An NIO oficial had explained at a press briefing that there where no plans for the Queen to meet bereaved relatives in Omagh, but that representatives of bereaved relatives would be at the garden parties.
Michael Gallagher, Chairman of the Omagh Self Help and Support group, phoned the Northern Ireland Office yesterday to register his anger at the fact that neither the site of the bombing nor the Garden of Remembrance were on the Queen's itinerary.
It is believed his call may have been a significant factor in the decision to include a visit to the bomb site.
Mr Gallagher who met the Queen at the Loughrey College Garden party later said that had the Queen not visited the bomb-site the incident would have cast a shadow over the visit.
He blamed advisers who set the itinerary and commented, "There seems to be a movement in Northern Ireland to try to ignore the past. It would be nice if members of the royal family came back and just visited victims.
Whilst at Omagh Library the Queen was given a short presentation on the Omagh 2010 'vision' an economic and infrastructural plan for Omagh.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1022
Published Date: 16-May-02
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