WAR OF WORDS HOLDS UP MEMORIAL TO BOMB VICTIMS
War of words holds up memorial to bomb victims
THE row over the wording to be inscribed on a permanent memorial to the victims of the 1998 Omagh bomb continues to rage amid accusations that Sinn Fein is objecting to the proposed wording on the monument, a claim emphatically denied by the party.
The Omagh victims group had hoped the words, 'To honour and remember 31 people murdered and hundreds injured from three nations by a dissident republican terrorist car bomb' would have been on the memorial but, the group's spokesman Michael Gallagher has accused Sinn Fein of blocking that wording.
Sinn Fein's Barry McElduff said he had not been aware of the above mentioned wording before last Wednesday, and party colleague, Sean Clarke added, "Omagh council has unanimously agreed to unveil a memorial stone in 2008, to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy and the council has also unanimously agreed the wording of the inscription."
This week Laurence Rush, who lost his wife, Libby, in the blast said he had not been asked for his consent to erect another reminder of that fateful day. Instead of a plaque he proposed an ongoing scholarship as a fitting memorial to those who lost loved ones.
Victim's Minister, David Hanson met with members of the Omagh Self Help and Support group on Wednesday and described the meeting as 'positive'. A spokesman for the minister later said that that he had taken on board what the group had to say and that officials would responds to recommendations made in due course.
The Chief Executive of the Council, Danny McSorley has issued a statement clarifying the Council's position.
He said, "The Memorial Working Group has set in train a process to develop such a memorial which will be inclusive, open, consultative, and sensitive and has set a completion target of the 10th Anniversary of the Omagh bomb."
Mr McSorley said it "Is important that Omagh Self Help and Support Group engage with all the other partners to articulate their expectations in respect of the form and content of the memorial."
Regarding delays in the process, he pointed out that the process of developing a fitting memorial must be sensitive to the needs of all those directly or indirectly affected by the bomb. The Omagh Memorial Working Group was anxious, he said, to achieve a consensus in respect of the form of the memorial to ensure that it would be respected and valued by the community as a whole and to rush this process, he said, would be counter productive to such an outcome.
Michael Gallagher of Omagh Self-help and support group commented, "The victims' group is committed to achieve a memorial Garden and marking of the street which will be a fitting tribute to those who were affected by the 1998 bombing.
"It is a matter of serious regret that this ended up in an unnecessary public debate. We hope that common sense will prevail and thank all political parties for their support. We call for the street marker to be put in place as soon as possible."
THE row over the wording to be inscribed on a permanent memorial to the victims of the 1998 Omagh bomb continues to rage amid accusations that Sinn Fein is objecting to the proposed wording on the monument, a claim emphatically denied by the party.
The Omagh victims group had hoped the words, 'To honour and remember 31 people murdered and hundreds injured from three nations by a dissident republican terrorist car bomb' would have been on the memorial but, the group's spokesman Michael Gallagher has accused Sinn Fein of blocking that wording.
Sinn Fein's Barry McElduff said he had not been aware of the above mentioned wording before last Wednesday, and party colleague, Sean Clarke added, "Omagh council has unanimously agreed to unveil a memorial stone in 2008, to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy and the council has also unanimously agreed the wording of the inscription."
This week Laurence Rush, who lost his wife, Libby, in the blast said he had not been asked for his consent to erect another reminder of that fateful day. Instead of a plaque he proposed an ongoing scholarship as a fitting memorial to those who lost loved ones.
Victim's Minister, David Hanson met with members of the Omagh Self Help and Support group on Wednesday and described the meeting as 'positive'. A spokesman for the minister later said that that he had taken on board what the group had to say and that officials would responds to recommendations made in due course.
The Chief Executive of the Council, Danny McSorley has issued a statement clarifying the Council's position.
He said, "The Memorial Working Group has set in train a process to develop such a memorial which will be inclusive, open, consultative, and sensitive and has set a completion target of the 10th Anniversary of the Omagh bomb."
Mr McSorley said it "Is important that Omagh Self Help and Support Group engage with all the other partners to articulate their expectations in respect of the form and content of the memorial."
Regarding delays in the process, he pointed out that the process of developing a fitting memorial must be sensitive to the needs of all those directly or indirectly affected by the bomb. The Omagh Memorial Working Group was anxious, he said, to achieve a consensus in respect of the form of the memorial to ensure that it would be respected and valued by the community as a whole and to rush this process, he said, would be counter productive to such an outcome.
Michael Gallagher of Omagh Self-help and support group commented, "The victims' group is committed to achieve a memorial Garden and marking of the street which will be a fitting tribute to those who were affected by the 1998 bombing.
"It is a matter of serious regret that this ended up in an unnecessary public debate. We hope that common sense will prevail and thank all political parties for their support. We call for the street marker to be put in place as soon as possible."
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1876
Published Date: 16-Nov-06
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