At 3.10 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, August 15, 1998, a car bomb exploded in a crowded shopping area of Omagh, Co Tyrone.

The horror of that day's news will, I believe, last a lifetime for all who lived on this island that day. 28 people killed and hundreds injured. Details of the impact of the explosion emerged throughout that afternoon and evening: that the dead included three generations of one family, a woman who was pregnant with twins, her baby, and her mother; that three children from Buncrana, Co Donegal, had died, as had a Spanish child and a Spanish group leader; and that a misleading warning had resulted in people converging in the area where the bomb was about to go off.

The President, Mrs McAleese, visited Omagh on Sunday and condemned the attackers as "a posse of serial killers".

Oran Doherty was an 8 year old schoolboy from Knockalla Drive, Buncrana, County Donegal.

He was killed alongside his friends, Sean McLaughlin and James Barker, when the bomb exploded. His father formally identified his body at 7am the next morning.
His sister said afterwards "He was so excited about the trip.” He was just an angel and we will all miss him so much. We will never, ever get over this".
Oran was a keen Celtic fan and wanted to play for the club when he grew up. He was buried in the club jersey, with the Celtic flag placed on his coffin. Central defender Marc Reiper, Youth Team Coach Willie McStay and exChairman Kevin Kelly attended the funeral mass, with Marc Reiper helping to carry the coffin.
After visiting his family with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, SDLP leader John Hume said "When you look at the faces of those young children and see the terrible suffering inflicted on their families, you wonder what sort of people are these who can leave those children in the coffin the way they are."

P. Sweeney (Secretary)
Parkhead House,
Dungloe,
Co.Donegal.
Ireland.