Family speak of their pain at loss of a ‘gentle giant’

IT was a keen interest in photography which had taken Brian McCrory into Omagh on the day of the Market Street bombing.

He was a native of the town, and well-known in the local community as a fireman and crane driver.

Photographs of Brian through the years were shown on the large screen today during the Omagh Bombing Inquiry at the Strule Arts Centre.

His daughter, Louise, described him as a ‘gentle giant’ and someone who was still dearly missed by his children, Louise, Colin and Brian.

“He was our gentle giant. For me, I feel that there are no words that I can write to portray the loss and hurt everyone of us have experienced since the day on August 15, 1998 and the feeling of fear and panic from that day that never really leaves,” she said.

“My dad Brian McCrory was not just a name on a list or an image on a collage of beautiful faces that were lost that day. He was a loving husband, and an amazing father, brother, uncle, colleague, neighbour and a good friend to many.

“He was a good man, decent and hardworking. He had a strong faith and was dedicated to his family. He had a kindness and a gentle spirit which anyone who knew him experienced. He had a beautiful smile which made you comfortable and safe.

“We are so very lucky to have had the chance to share our lives with someone so very special and we should have been given much longer to share our lives with this unassuming and good natured, quiet and much-loved mum.”

Louise said that their mother had lost her ‘one-in-a-million best friend’. She said he was patient and that she never recalled him ever raising his voice to them.

“It is impossible to explain how important he was to us and how much his presence was and is missed in our daily family lives,” she added.

“My dad never got the chance to meet his daughter-in-laws, Tina and Roisin, or his son-in-law, James. Likewise, they never got the chance to meet this man who shaped the people we are today. We missed the big events, but also the small things in life, being together, eating family dinners or having a cup of tea.”