Three members of one family to be remembered at inquiry today

Three generations of the same family will be remembered at the Omagh Bombing Inquiry today.

On August 15, 1998, Mary Grimes celebrated her 66th birthday.

She was taken into Omagh by her daughter Avril to enjoy some shopping.

Along with them was Avril’s 18-month-old daughter Maura.

Avril, 30, who had three other children, was also pregnant with twins.

However, a day of celebration turned to horror when Mary, Avril and Maura were all killed in the Omagh bombing, which killed 26 other people that day.

Mary, Avril and Maura’s stories will be told at the inquiry today.

The inquiry resumed yesterday at the Strule Arts Centre with families of two young Spanish victims – 12-year-old Fernando Blasco Baselga and 23-year-old Rocio Abad Ramos – telling the world how their loss had impacted on their families.

Today’s sitting of the inquiry will also hear a testimony on behalf of the family of 16-year-old victim Alan Radford.

A pupil at Omagh High School, Alan had been in Omagh that day to help his mother to do her weekly shopping.

The teenager was due to start training as a chef the following month.

Also remembered today will be 20-year-old Breda Devine who was killed in the blast while out with her mother.

Breda, the second-youngest victim of the bomb, was due to be the flower girl at the wedding of her uncle and his fiancée.

Speaking yesterday at the beginning of the latest phase of the inquiry, inquiry chair Lord Turnbull said he has been ‘overwhelmed’ by reading the statements from those who lost loved ones or were injured as a result of the 1998 atrocity.

Statements have also been received from many of those directly or indirectly affected by the bombing, although some of the information has been removed due to sensitive, private and personal information.

It is expected that the initial evidence sessions will last for four weeks.

Family members of many of those killed will be in attendance to take part, while the inquiry will produce its own commemoration based on information publicly available with the permission of families who have decided not to be present.

Speaking on the first morning of the Inquiry, Lord Turnbull, told those present that he had been shocked by the level of grief imposed on the ‘innocent and ordinary’ people of Omagh.

He added he had been ‘overwhelmed and humbled’ by the appalling injuries sustained on Market Street on that day almost 27 years ago.

Lord Turnbull emphasised the importance of the commemorative statements in underpinning the importance of the inquiry.

He said that it had been ‘very distressing’ to read the statements provided by families.

The purpose of the inquiry is to investigate whether the atrocity that happened in Omagh could have been prevented by the UK state authorities.