A memorial service to mark the 25th anniversary of the Omagh bomb has taken place in the County Tyrone town.
The Omagh Bomb was the worst atrocity of The Troubles and claimed the lives of 29 people - including a woman who was pregnant with twins.
The victims also included a Spanish child on a school exchange trip and three young boys from Buncrana, Co Donegal.
The bomb was detonated by dissident republican group the Real IRA on August 15th 1998 – just four months after the Good Friday Agreement was signed.
The scene of the car bombing in the centre of Omagh, Co Tyrone (AP Photo / Paul McErlane)Memorial services have kicked off this afternoon, as locals gathered in the town for a prayer service to mark the anniversary of the attack.
The service today took place in a memorial garden just 200 metres from the scene of the explosion.
It featured 31 poles with a mirror on top of each, in memory of all the lives lost that day.
A memorial service to mark the 25th anniversary of the Omagh bomb has taken place in the County Tyrone town.
The Omagh Bomb was the worst atrocity of The Troubles and claimed the lives of 29 people - including a woman who was pregnant with twins. pic.twitter.com/07lKoEi72S
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) August 13, 2023
The names of those that died on August 15th 1998 were read out.
The Omagh Bomb Victims' Group Spokesperson, Michael Gallagher said it was "horrendous" to identify his 21-year-old son Aiden, who had died in the bombing.
"We had to go to the military camp which was nearby, and that's where a temporary mortuary had been set up and identify Aiden," he said.
"I had to drive home and tell my two daughters and my wife that Aiden wouldn't be coming home, and that was probably the most difficult thing I ever had to do."
A memorial plaque at the service to mark the 25th anniversary of the bombing in Omagh in 1998, at the Memorial Gardens in Omagh, Co Tyrone. August 13, 2023. (PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo)
People attend a service to mark the 25th anniversary of the bombing that devastated Omagh at the Memorial Gardens in Omagh, Co Tyrone. August 13, 2023. (PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo)
Omagh bombing survivor Donna-Marie McGillion (centre right). August 13, 2023. (PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo)Newstalk’s exclusive podcast ‘As I Remember It: Bertie Ahern and the Good Friday Agreement’ tells the story of the Good Friday Agreement through the eyes of those who negotiated it.
The series includes personal reflections on the shock and horror of the Omagh Bombing from the likes of former US President Bill Clinton, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and others involved in the agreement.
You can hear Episode One here:
Go deeper with interviews, videos, an interactive timeline of the peace process and a full glossary of the key players here.
Additional reporting by Faye Curran.
