SPANISH LEADER SHINES A LIGHT IN FACE OF ADVERSITY
Spanish leader shines a light in face of adversity
BY MARK McKELVEY
m.mckelvey@ulsterherald.com
Out of darkness and pain can come hope and optimism. Lives destroyed can recover and people can be happy again. The children of Spain and their leaders who were caught up in the Omagh bomb atrocity, epitomise such a sentiment, as they now look to the future without animosity towards the past.
Paula Helguero Mahon, who has taken children from Madrid to Buncrana to help them learn English for the past 20 years, returned to Omagh for the first time on Friday since that fateful day on August 15, 1998, to take part in the tenth anniversary commemorations.
As the group's leader a decade ago, with 32 children in Omagh, Paula had to stay pragmatic and strong in the aftermath of the bomb that killed 12-year-old Fernando Blasco and 23-year-old group leader Rocio Abad Ramos, with many more severely injured, including her close family members.
Recalling her memories of ten years ago, Paula says they remain vivid and clear.
"My overall memory of the day was having to account for where everyone was and what hospital they where in," said Paula. "The hardest thing was recognising the truth that two of our group from Spain had died.
"What I have learnt from their Spanish families in the past ten years is how to take the positives out of what happened in Omagh."
Paula says it was only years after Omagh that she was able to embrace the devastating personal effects that day had on her life.
She explained, "It really hit me about a year after. At the time of the bomb I was expecting my fourth child who was born the following January. I then had a bad accident myself in February and had a bad knee injury but I refused to take pain killers for the suffering, as I thought I had caused so many other people to suffer.
"I started counselling a year later as I felt very guilty and thought it was my fault because I had brought the students here. It took a while to realise we were unlucky to be in Omagh that day and it wasn't my fault. It is the people that planted the bomb that are at fault."
Paula's company is family run so she had a strong family presence in Omagh, some of which were severely injured as a result of the bomb. Her sister was in a coma and her niece had to be brought by helicopter to the Royal Victoria Hospital where Paula said they saved her life. The 13-year-old had to remain in hospital in Belfast for over a month and a half before returning to Madrid.
Fortunately Paula says everyone who was injured has recovered really well and have moved on positively with their lives.
"One girl lost her eye in the bomb and was actually in the bed beside Claire Gallagher who lost her sight.
They got really friendly and stayed in contact. She is now a doctor herself.
"Her brother, whose legs were completely destroyed, is now an architect and is a competitive basketball player thanks to the hospital staff that helped him.
"My cousin almost lost his hand. He was the main leader and has since married the girl who was the team leader and they have a child. They fell in love after the Omagh bombing as they were in hospital together. There is a lot of lovely and positive stories that have come out of their experiences in Omagh that day."
Although passing by Omagh countless times since, Friday's ceremony was the first time Paula had stopped.
She said, "I returned to the scene in the days afterwards to assist the police with their investigations which was very hard. Every other year that I have returned I pass through Omagh and say a prayer but I never stopped until today. I am happy to be here today and I will say I will be coming back now that I have made that step."
It would be understandable to expect Paula's company to stop bringing children to Ireland after this devastating experience, but she says when she saw the solidarity in response to such an atrocity by the local community she said she wanted to continue coming.
Paula explained, "That very night of the event I decided I would come back again. When I saw the goodness in people and the human response of how they stick together, I had to show also that we were not going to be affected by this and we have been coming back since.
"We had the Madrid bombings and it revived everything that happened in Omagh, and like Omagh the Madrid community was able to pull themselves together. That's what brings you hope. When you see the evil and atrocity and then see how communities recover really gives you faith back in life and realise it is worth living."
Although for the first few years afterwards they stayed in Donegal with some families reluctant to send then-children to Ireland, Paula says they are now bringing over more children than ever. "I have seen such a change in Ireland over the past 20 years. It is now a different country. I have developed links with the area that are now unbreakable and for me it is a privilege to come here," said Paula.
BY MARK McKELVEY
m.mckelvey@ulsterherald.com
Out of darkness and pain can come hope and optimism. Lives destroyed can recover and people can be happy again. The children of Spain and their leaders who were caught up in the Omagh bomb atrocity, epitomise such a sentiment, as they now look to the future without animosity towards the past.
Paula Helguero Mahon, who has taken children from Madrid to Buncrana to help them learn English for the past 20 years, returned to Omagh for the first time on Friday since that fateful day on August 15, 1998, to take part in the tenth anniversary commemorations.
As the group's leader a decade ago, with 32 children in Omagh, Paula had to stay pragmatic and strong in the aftermath of the bomb that killed 12-year-old Fernando Blasco and 23-year-old group leader Rocio Abad Ramos, with many more severely injured, including her close family members.
Recalling her memories of ten years ago, Paula says they remain vivid and clear.
"My overall memory of the day was having to account for where everyone was and what hospital they where in," said Paula. "The hardest thing was recognising the truth that two of our group from Spain had died.
"What I have learnt from their Spanish families in the past ten years is how to take the positives out of what happened in Omagh."
Paula says it was only years after Omagh that she was able to embrace the devastating personal effects that day had on her life.
She explained, "It really hit me about a year after. At the time of the bomb I was expecting my fourth child who was born the following January. I then had a bad accident myself in February and had a bad knee injury but I refused to take pain killers for the suffering, as I thought I had caused so many other people to suffer.
"I started counselling a year later as I felt very guilty and thought it was my fault because I had brought the students here. It took a while to realise we were unlucky to be in Omagh that day and it wasn't my fault. It is the people that planted the bomb that are at fault."
Paula's company is family run so she had a strong family presence in Omagh, some of which were severely injured as a result of the bomb. Her sister was in a coma and her niece had to be brought by helicopter to the Royal Victoria Hospital where Paula said they saved her life. The 13-year-old had to remain in hospital in Belfast for over a month and a half before returning to Madrid.
Fortunately Paula says everyone who was injured has recovered really well and have moved on positively with their lives.
"One girl lost her eye in the bomb and was actually in the bed beside Claire Gallagher who lost her sight.
They got really friendly and stayed in contact. She is now a doctor herself.
"Her brother, whose legs were completely destroyed, is now an architect and is a competitive basketball player thanks to the hospital staff that helped him.
"My cousin almost lost his hand. He was the main leader and has since married the girl who was the team leader and they have a child. They fell in love after the Omagh bombing as they were in hospital together. There is a lot of lovely and positive stories that have come out of their experiences in Omagh that day."
Although passing by Omagh countless times since, Friday's ceremony was the first time Paula had stopped.
She said, "I returned to the scene in the days afterwards to assist the police with their investigations which was very hard. Every other year that I have returned I pass through Omagh and say a prayer but I never stopped until today. I am happy to be here today and I will say I will be coming back now that I have made that step."
It would be understandable to expect Paula's company to stop bringing children to Ireland after this devastating experience, but she says when she saw the solidarity in response to such an atrocity by the local community she said she wanted to continue coming.
Paula explained, "That very night of the event I decided I would come back again. When I saw the goodness in people and the human response of how they stick together, I had to show also that we were not going to be affected by this and we have been coming back since.
"We had the Madrid bombings and it revived everything that happened in Omagh, and like Omagh the Madrid community was able to pull themselves together. That's what brings you hope. When you see the evil and atrocity and then see how communities recover really gives you faith back in life and realise it is worth living."
Although for the first few years afterwards they stayed in Donegal with some families reluctant to send then-children to Ireland, Paula says they are now bringing over more children than ever. "I have seen such a change in Ireland over the past 20 years. It is now a different country. I have developed links with the area that are now unbreakable and for me it is a privilege to come here," said Paula.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH10An/57
Published Date: 21-Aug-08
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