UH/2032

Families to remember Omagh bomb victims on 13th anniversary
BY RONAN McSHERRY

THE husbund of Ann McCombe, who was killed in the Omagh bomb 13 years ago, has attributed his recent ill health to the stress caused by the atrocity and the subsequent failure to bring the perpetrators to justice.
On Sunday Stanley McCombe will gather with other grieving relatives and the local community at a inter-denominational service of music, verse and prayer marking the anniversary of the Real IRA bomb that claimed the lives of 31 people and injured hundreds of others. The car bomb exploded on the afternoon of Saturday August 15. 1998.
Beragh police officer Ronan Kerr, who was murdered in Omagh on April 2 this year, will also be remembe'red at the ceremony.
Mrs McCombe, aged 48, from Summerhill Park in Omagh was working in Wattersons clothes shop and had walked down the town with her friend, Geraldine Breslin (43) during a tea break.
Both died instantly when the bomb exploded beside them.
No-one has ever been convicted in a criminal court for the mass murder and 12 relatives of the deceased sought recourse to a civil court. A judge awarded more than £1.6m in damages after he found four leading Real IRA members, Michael McKcvitt, Liam Campbell, Colin Murphy and Seamus Daly liable for the killings
Mr McCombe told the Ulster Herald. "It is always there. There is always something happening every day as we try to keep the pressure on the get justice. If we do not keep the pressure on the government they will do nothing "
Recovering from recent ill health, he suggested that the trauma of the bombing and nobody being held to account, has taken its toll on many of the relatives.
People who were injured and lost loved ones ended up with high blood pressure, having strokes and heart attacks." he added. "Stress has been the main factor in that. Ann was an awful loss to us as were the other people who lost their lives."
Michael Gallagher, of the Omagh Support and Self Help Group, lost his son Aidan (21) in the bombing, he said. "Following the success of last year's personal service this year's is designed to provide comfort to the bereaved, injured and traumatised families while being uplifting in nature. As always we will be expressing our sympathies with the many victims of terrorist related atrocities at home and around the world.
"We invite and welcome everyone to come along and join us to remember and honour all those who died and those who are still suffering.
This year's annual service of remembrance is in the Memorial Garden at 3pm.