Daryl’s song of peace to be performed at Omagh bomb commemoration

THE poignant symbolism of two Omagh rivers flowing into one to create togetherness is the theme of a song that will be performed at the 25th commemorations of the Omagh Bomb this Sunday.

The piece, ‘Come Join Us at the Water’, was penned by Daryl Simpson, and is a powerful reminder to keep moving ahead with hope – just as the rivers ebb and evolve, but flow ever-forward.

The work was also inspired by the almost-prophetic poem called ‘Across the Bridge of Hope’, written by 12-year-old Sean McLaughlin, pleading for peace before he was killed in the bombing.

Fittingly, Daryl’s song will be performed by the Omagh Community Youth Choir, a choir set-up by the Omagh man in the aftermath of the Omagh bomb, at the Memorial Garden.

He said, “When writing the song, I wanted to capture a message of reassurance: It was important that we can stand together as we continue in our life’s journey. The verses acknowledge the impact of the bomb in 1998; where we were, and where we have come.

“The lyrics, ‘For our bridge of hope Is eternal; a farther shore we can reach if we try’, sat with me, as I felt the symbolism of our own many bridges in Omagh were a daily reminder of keeping that hope alive.”

The Omagh Community Youth Choir will be turning 25-years-old this September.

“In Omagh, in 1998, our community came together,” Daryl said. “There is a resilience here, and we will always denounce these awful terrorist atrocities.

“I am heartened that the choir’s young people take powerful messages of togetherness and fairness out into the world. This represents our town at its very best.

“I saw how our town rallied around the awful shooting of DCI John Caldwell more recently, and know that the outpouring of support to him and his family was unanimous.

“We all hope these days of violence are over, but we must continue to reinforce our message of peace for future generations.”