OMAGH REFLECTIONS ALMOST SIX YEARS ON
Omagh - Reflections almost six years on
"What people in Omagh can't understand is what the bombers thought they could achieve. Omagh is a mixed town but it wasn't a divided town before the bombing and it certainly isn't now. If anything it has brought people together". Katrina Battisti, Theatre Nurse.
IN support of Channel 4's new feature-length drama on Omagh written by Guy Hibbert (May 33rd) and Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday) for broadcast on Channel 4 on Tursday, May 27, the station has created a website www.channel4.com/omagh which goes live on the day of the screening.
A broad spectrum of people with strong feelings about Omagh and its aftermath, from nurses to poets, from musicians to shopkeepers, have contributed their reflections and feelings on the bombing from the perspective of five years after.
The website has provided a unique space enabling both prominent people in Irish culture and 'ordinary' folk to share their thoughts on the same platform in a quiet and thoughtful way, giving a new dimension to Omagh, one that transcends the politics, and new reflections on what it means and what, if anything, positive has come out of it.
The drama examines the events and aftermath of 15th August 1998, when a Real IRA bomb claimed the lives of 31 victims. Based on extensive first-hand research, and in consultation with the Omagh Support and Self Help Group, the drama chronicles the unresolved struggle to bring the perpetrators of the bombing to justice and the persistent lobbying of the Uk and Irish governments by the families of the victims, whose need for a full and honest examination of the tragedy has never been met. The website offers a reflective dimension to complement what is a harrowing, moving viewing experience.
Among those who have agreed to contribute to the website are: Katrina Battisti, Theatre Nurse; Peter Makem, Poet; Nell McCafferty, Writer; Gerry Anderson, Broadcaster; Colin Bateman, Novelist; Brian Kennedy, Singer; Geraldine McCrory, Barnardo's; Emer McCourt, Actress/Writer; Seth Linder, Writer; Richard Duffy, Clothes Shop Buyer; Tommy Sands, Musician and Adrian Dunbar, Actor.
"These were ordinary people who rose above themselves. This is the ultimate legacy of Omagh; that ordinary people couldn't and wouldn't rest until justice was seen to be done". Gerry Anderson, BBC Radio.
"What people in Omagh can't understand is what the bombers thought they could achieve. Omagh is a mixed town but it wasn't a divided town before the bombing and it certainly isn't now. If anything it has brought people together". Katrina Battisti, Theatre Nurse.
IN support of Channel 4's new feature-length drama on Omagh written by Guy Hibbert (May 33rd) and Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday) for broadcast on Channel 4 on Tursday, May 27, the station has created a website www.channel4.com/omagh which goes live on the day of the screening.
A broad spectrum of people with strong feelings about Omagh and its aftermath, from nurses to poets, from musicians to shopkeepers, have contributed their reflections and feelings on the bombing from the perspective of five years after.
The website has provided a unique space enabling both prominent people in Irish culture and 'ordinary' folk to share their thoughts on the same platform in a quiet and thoughtful way, giving a new dimension to Omagh, one that transcends the politics, and new reflections on what it means and what, if anything, positive has come out of it.
The drama examines the events and aftermath of 15th August 1998, when a Real IRA bomb claimed the lives of 31 victims. Based on extensive first-hand research, and in consultation with the Omagh Support and Self Help Group, the drama chronicles the unresolved struggle to bring the perpetrators of the bombing to justice and the persistent lobbying of the Uk and Irish governments by the families of the victims, whose need for a full and honest examination of the tragedy has never been met. The website offers a reflective dimension to complement what is a harrowing, moving viewing experience.
Among those who have agreed to contribute to the website are: Katrina Battisti, Theatre Nurse; Peter Makem, Poet; Nell McCafferty, Writer; Gerry Anderson, Broadcaster; Colin Bateman, Novelist; Brian Kennedy, Singer; Geraldine McCrory, Barnardo's; Emer McCourt, Actress/Writer; Seth Linder, Writer; Richard Duffy, Clothes Shop Buyer; Tommy Sands, Musician and Adrian Dunbar, Actor.
"These were ordinary people who rose above themselves. This is the ultimate legacy of Omagh; that ordinary people couldn't and wouldn't rest until justice was seen to be done". Gerry Anderson, BBC Radio.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1663
Published Date: 20-May-04
Related Images
