Member's statement: Omagh Bombing
Member's statement by Miss Nicola Brogan on .
- MLA
- Miss Nicola Brogan
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 18 February 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Omagh Bombing
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4806118
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Last week, I attended a hearing of the Omagh Bombing inquiry at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh. I take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge the strength, courage and compassion of all those who have told their stories and shared their experiences of that awful day, 15 August 1998. It has been truly humbling to hear the heartbreaking stories from those who lost loved ones, those who were injured and those who witnessed such horror on the day of the bomb. While the details have been horrific for many, and while people locally find it difficult to relive and remember the day of the bomb, it is striking how, in many ways, their testimonies represent the very best of humanity. We have heard of the heroism of paramedics and firefighters, who worked tirelessly to rescue people, and the huge efforts of medical staff, in Omagh Hospital and in the surrounding hospitals, who worked around the clock to help the huge influx of patients. I also pay tribute to the people who were there on the day who instinctively rushed to find people in the rubble or to bring the injured to safety despite the risk and, often, already having been injured themselves. All the stories from that terrible day deserve to be heard and should serve as a stark reminder to us all of how precious peace is. As an Omagh woman, I have seen the town and its people recover and grow after that dreadful attack, looking to the future while never forgetting those who were hurt or lost. It is vital that the voices of victims and their families are heard, that justice is seen to be done and that the truth does not become yet another casualty of that dark day.
294 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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