LONDON DAILY ARCHIVE
Omagh Bombing Inquiry Hears Heartbreaking Testimony from Survivors and Families
Families of the victims express deep frustration over police investigation failings as the inquiry continues in Co Tyrone.
18 February 2025 · 04:00 UTC
Victor Barker, the father of James Barker, who was 12 years old when he died in the bombing, stated that the victims’ families have been "woefully let down" by the investigatory efforts of the police.
Mr. Barker remarked that James had been killed in a manner he described as "evil and barbaric," asserting that his son's potential and future were brutally stolen.
He expressed particular criticism of the police leadership at the time, specifically targeting Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan for what he characterized as inadequate oversight of the investigation.
“Like so many thousands of others who have lost loved ones in the Troubles, I have some very dark moments,” Mr. Barker noted.
He underscored the emotional toll the civil case has taken on bereaved families and questioned the equal treatment of victims compared to perpetrators.
The inquiry, currently being held at the Strule Arts Centre, has seen numerous accounts of the impact of the bombing from emergency responders.
Paramedic Richard Quigley recounted his experience as a young medic attending his first explosion scene, where he participated in the grim task of transporting victims' bodies to a temporary mortuary.
He described the harrowing sight of multiple body bags arranged in rows, emphasizing that such scenes belong only in film.
Firefighter Paddy Quinn reflected on his challenges in returning to the site of the bombing, stating, "I couldn’t drive it, I couldn’t walk it," and recalled the profound emotional scars the event left on him.
In attendance were survivors recounting their harrowing experiences.
Maeve O’Brien, who was 13 during the bombing, detailed how her family was spared from physical harm due to her grandmother's instinct to move them to a different location prior to the explosion.
In her testimony, she expressed a lasting sense of trauma, marking her life as divided between before and after the bombing.
Dervlagh, Maeve's sister, who was just eight years old at the time, described the power of the blast that knocked her to the ground and stated that it profoundly influenced her life, resulting in panic attacks in her twenties.
Damian Murphy, then a student teacher, shared vivid memories of rushing to assist victims immediately after the explosion.
He recalled the pervasive chaos, sights, and sounds that he encountered, detailing his efforts to help the injured escape the devastation.
Counsel to the inquiry, Paul Greaney KC, announced on Monday that Tracey Devine, a survivor who suffered severe injuries during the bombing and lost her daughter Breda, passed away the previous weekend.
In respect of her memory, the inquiry will not convene during her funeral.
The Omagh bombing remains one of the deadliest single incidents during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and the inquiry aims to shed light on the investigation that followed the attack, which has faced significant scrutiny for its effectiveness and thoroughness.