WE MUST BUILD FOR A BETTER FUTURE
We must build for a better future
The declaration this week that the mother of one of Omagh's bomb victims is contemplating leaving the town is just another reminder of how the 1998 bomb has devastated our community.
Families who lost loved one are still struggling to come to terms with what happened two years ago. The enormity of their loss has been felt by all of us, not just in Omagh, but in the towns, villages and parishes for miles around.
Tuesday's emotional ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the atrocity turned the spotlight on our community once again and the anguish of those who suffered most only serves to remind the outside world that life will never be the same again in Omagh.
It is a terrible tragedy that the Radford family is considering moving out of the town. However, it is entirely understandable that they find living here a painful reminder of their son's loss.
Their pain, and that of the families of the other 28 men, women and children as well as the unborn twins who lost their lives in Market Street, is compounded by the fact that the site of the explosion is still under reconstruction.
And their suffering is also not helped by the fact that dissident terrorist groups, particularly the Real IRA cowards who destroyed life in Omagh, are still planning and operating with murderous intentions.
No organisation or person can attempt to legitimate the activities of such groups. Their activities are nothing less than evil and cannot be justified in any way by claiming that their efforts are for a greater cause.
The Good Friday Agreement revealed the the vast majority of right thinking people rejected violence once and for all. And the workings of the Assembly in recent months have shown that more can be achieved within a political arena than it could ever be in years of street fighting.
It is therefore important that the activities of those who wish to continue killing and destroying our society are ended once and for all. They do not deserve support whether it is moral or financial, and it is essential that anyone who has any information about the Real IRA or Loyalist groupings tell the appropriate authorities.
Life will never be the same again for those who lost their loved ones in the Omagh bomb, but it just might help if they knew that every single one of us were determined in our efforts to build a better future for our children and leave the men of violence in the shadows where they belong.
The declaration this week that the mother of one of Omagh's bomb victims is contemplating leaving the town is just another reminder of how the 1998 bomb has devastated our community.
Families who lost loved one are still struggling to come to terms with what happened two years ago. The enormity of their loss has been felt by all of us, not just in Omagh, but in the towns, villages and parishes for miles around.
Tuesday's emotional ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the atrocity turned the spotlight on our community once again and the anguish of those who suffered most only serves to remind the outside world that life will never be the same again in Omagh.
It is a terrible tragedy that the Radford family is considering moving out of the town. However, it is entirely understandable that they find living here a painful reminder of their son's loss.
Their pain, and that of the families of the other 28 men, women and children as well as the unborn twins who lost their lives in Market Street, is compounded by the fact that the site of the explosion is still under reconstruction.
And their suffering is also not helped by the fact that dissident terrorist groups, particularly the Real IRA cowards who destroyed life in Omagh, are still planning and operating with murderous intentions.
No organisation or person can attempt to legitimate the activities of such groups. Their activities are nothing less than evil and cannot be justified in any way by claiming that their efforts are for a greater cause.
The Good Friday Agreement revealed the the vast majority of right thinking people rejected violence once and for all. And the workings of the Assembly in recent months have shown that more can be achieved within a political arena than it could ever be in years of street fighting.
It is therefore important that the activities of those who wish to continue killing and destroying our society are ended once and for all. They do not deserve support whether it is moral or financial, and it is essential that anyone who has any information about the Real IRA or Loyalist groupings tell the appropriate authorities.
Life will never be the same again for those who lost their loved ones in the Omagh bomb, but it just might help if they knew that every single one of us were determined in our efforts to build a better future for our children and leave the men of violence in the shadows where they belong.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1410
Published Date: 17-Aug-00
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.