Ninth annual service recalls Omagh

The ninth anniversary of the Omagh bombing, which killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured more than…

The ninth anniversary of the Omagh bombing, which killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured more than 200, was marked yesterday by an interdenominational service at the town's memorial gardens.

Representatives of the British, Irish and Spanish governments attended, alongside several hundred friends and family of the victims.

The service included poems, songs, psalms and a short reflection by Fr Kevin Mullen, the first clergyman on the scene after the bomb exploded.

He said that it was a poignant day when memories were on thoughts of loved ones and hope for the future. "We hope there are other days to come when the work of justice will be done," he said.

READ MORE

The service took place at 3pm, about the same time as the car bomb exploded on August 15th, 1998, in the packed main street of the town.

Speaking after the event, Fr Mullen said that many wounds were still raw, particularly for those leading the campaign to find truth and justice. "There have been no answers," he said.

Just two people have ever been charged in relation to the Omagh bomb.

In the Republic, Colm Murphy's conviction was overturned in 2005. In the North, a verdict has yet to be reached in the case of Seán Hoey in relation to the bombing.

Fr Mullen said that he had found it an emotional day. "I just felt that well of sadness inside me sitting there today. It brings it all back up again and you reach out again to the people who were part of the story. There is a great sense of companionship," he said.

"The wider community wants to see closure, but there are different views of what that means. Some want punishment, others an acknowledgement or admission of the truth and there are those who won't be satisfied until people are jailed," he added.

Michael Gallagher, who lost his 21-year-old son, Aiden, in the bomb, found the service moving. He is a key lobbyist for the Omagh Support Group, which seeks justice on behalf of the families. "There's a lot of disappointment that this is the ninth anniversary and we still haven't had justice," he said.

Members of the group met the Government's representative at the service, Seán Powers, Minister of State for Justice, and asked for a full cross-Border inquiry into the bombing.

"If there aren't going to be any more convictions for Omagh, at least give us a public inquiry and let us know the truth of what happened," Mr Gallagher said.