Personal statements from relatives of the dead and those injured in the 1998 Omagh bombing will be made in the first weeks of the public inquiry into the atrocity, which starts on Tuesday.
The inquiry into the bombing that caused the worst loss of life in a single attack over three decades of violence is the result of a long campaign by relatives of the victims and others.
One of the key questions will be whether the bombing could have been prevented, including by triangulating intelligence known to agencies both north and south.
Twenty-nine people, including a woman expecting twins, were blown up when the Real IRA detonated a bomb in the centre of the Co Tyrone in the middle of a Saturday afternoon in August 1998. More than 200 were injured.
Scottish judge Lord Andrew Turnbull is chairing the inquiry, announced early in 2023 and which held its first preliminary gathering in July, 2024. Lord Turnbull promised to carry out his job “rigorously and fearlessly”
Along with relatives and those injured, witnesses to the carnage will also be delivering testimony in the opening four weeks at the Strule Arts Centre in the town.
Organisations supporting victims of the most recent conflict are backing the inquiry and providing support to those participating.
Sandra Peake, chief executive of the WAVE Trauma Centre, which has a regional office in Omagh, said there was a “noticeable spike in numbers coming to us following the announcement that the Inquiry was to be held”.
“There is no doubt that while many welcome the Inquiry it will be a stressful and traumatic time especially for those witnesses who are to give evidence,” Ms Peake said.
“Reliving that day even in the context of a formal public inquiry will be harrowing. Of that there is no doubt.”
She added: “For all those impacted on that terrible day in August 1998 the bombing is anything but a distant memory. It lives with them every day.”
The South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) is providing advocacy and representation for the families of the dead and those injured in the August 15 bombing.
“This week our advocates will be represented in Omagh with families and individuals, engaging with the inquiry, supporting them through the process of recounting experiences and the impact the loss of a loved one(s) physical and/or psychological injury has had upon their lives,” said Kenny Donaldson. the head of SEFF.
No one has ever been convicted in connection with the bombing.
Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt was found responsible in a 2009 civil case. Three other men, Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly, were also found liable for the attack.
