UH/1629

Omagh horror set in Navan
BY: JOHN McCUSKER

THE scenes of carnage that unfolded on the streets of Omagh just over five years ago jolted into the public consciousness again this week with national attention to the film first reported by the Ulster Herald last October.
Scenes of the 1998 Omagh bombing were simulated in Navan town centre during the past week as part of the filming of a Channel 4-based drama on the atrocity. 'Omagh' will focus on how victims' families dealt with the aftermath of the bombing which was the single worst atrocity in 30 years of violence in the North.
Screen-writer Guy Hibbert has been working on the feature-length drama for over a year now. During that time he, along with award-winning film-maker Paul Greengrass - whose projects have included Bloody Sunday - and writer and producer Don Mullan have worked closely with families of the victims. The storyline is based around the Gallagher family who lost 21-year-old Aidan in the bombing.
Included in the cast are Omagh-born actor Gerard McSorley while Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker plays Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan. It is expected to be screened on TV in May before going on to open release in cinemas.
The film is being shot on location in Dublin but for the past week the crew has decamped to Navan where the town's Watergate Street has been used to replicate the bombed Market Street in Omagh. The Meath town is no stranger to film crews. Braveheart was recorded in nearby Trim, while the BBC's Aristocrats was shot on the outskirts of Navan.
From Tuesday of last week, around 130 extras were drafted in to work alongside the dozen or so main cast members as filming of the bomb's aftermath got underway.
Earning £72 per day, the extras included dozens of shoppers, two supermarket girls, a butcher, a baker, a chemist, RUC officers and schoolchildren.
As cameras rolled, 20 seriously injured civilians and 30 walking wounded were tended by passers-by, paramedics, firemen and soldiers. Vehicles with Northern registration plates lined the street as RUC and army jeeps, ambulances and fire tenders waited in the wings to be summoned by the film's producers.
Watergate Street itself was turned into a scene of devastation and carnage. The area was chosen because of its physical resemblance to the Market Street/Dublin Road junction in Omagh. The actual explosion itself was not recorded here. It will be simulated on computer in the production process. Omagh's Courthouse mentioned in the initial phoned bomb warnings will also be incorporated through the use of computer graphics.
Although the building layout bore striking similarities, a bitterly cold January afternoon as opposed to a warm August day meant the cast, dressed in summer clothing, was forced to wrap up in coats and blankets between scenes in a bid to beat the elements.
Among the main actors filming the Navan scenes were Paul Kelly and Michael Legge, who play the parts of Aidan Gallagher and his best friend Michael Barrett respectively.
Paul, who comes from Omagh, auditioned for the part two months ago. In the film, he is shown earlier on the morning of the bombing with his father and bringing milk home to his mother. Paul himself knew some of those who died in the explosion.
The 21-year-old, who is a member of the National Youth Theatre, performed recently at the Edinburgh Festival. He has also taught drama at a number of primary schools.
"Omagh is being shot very like Bloody Sunday," he says. "There's that sense of rush, a lot of stuff going on."
Producer of the 'Omagh' drama, Ed Guiney explained how those involved searched long and hard to find a street similar in appearance to Omagh. He is also acutely aware that many of those caught up in the 1998 explosion and its aftermath will find difficulty bringing themselves to watch the scenes so soon after the event.
"This film tells a piece of recent history, the story of the Omagh Support Group and their struggle for justice in the wake of the bomb.
"It's a universal story, a great tragedy which can transcend all backgrounds. It's very powerful," he adds.
Channel 4's Head of Drama, John Yorke said, "Omagh will tell the story from the families' point of view, portraying their personal battle for justice.
"This is a hugely exciting landmark production for Channel 4, reflecting our belief in drama's ability to ask powerful and provocative political questions. The drama will act as a bookend to Paul Greengrass's humane and pertinent examination of the Irish situation."