‘It is different for mothers’

Powerful exhibition of conflict-related art launched at Loughmacrory

A MOTHER whose daughter was killed in the 1998 Omagh Bomb is among those featured in a unique new art exhibition which has gone on display around a Tyrone lough.

Titled ‘It is Different for Mothers’, the photographic portraits aim to tell the story of the irreparable loss experienced by 16 mothers during the Troubles.

Launched on Good Friday, the portraits will be displayed around Loughmacrory until the end of May.

One of the mothers featured in the poignant exhibition is Mary Logue, whose daughter Brenda was just 17 when she was killed in Market Street, Omagh on August 15, 1998.

The teenager had walked out of a shop to find out why people were running and was killed instantly.

Sean Curran, chair of Loughmacrory Community Development Association, said the exhibition was incredibly ‘personal and powerful’, giving an insight into the experience of mothers who lost children in the conflict.

“The natural beauty of the lough is the perfect location to host this exhibition and the inclusion of local mother, Mary Logue who lost Brenda in 1998 gives added local interest and pride,” he said.

“There has been a steady flow to visit the portraits since the launch on Good Friday. The portraits will be in place for several weeks and I invite everyone to Loughmacrory to visit these powerful pieces of art.”

First launched to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement last year, the project captures a photographic insight into the lives of women bereaved in the conflict from 1968 to 2010.

It is part of a process noticing and acknowledging that it was ‘different for mothers’.

“This exhibition says clearly that these women are contributors to our peace. They tell our post-conflict society why we must never return to the days of conflict,” say the organisation, Relatives for Justice, who organised the exhibition.

“Their experience tells us why human rights, the rights of women, the rights of children, the right to live free from conflict and in dignity are all so vitally important. They tell us dealing with the past is an act of love and care.

“By standing these portraits at the heart of a place of outstanding natural beauty, these women and Relatives for Justice offer those visiting the opportunity to bear witness and contribute to a share future based on human rights, dignity and understanding.”

The exhibition of the portraits will be held at the lough in Loughmacrory until May 31.