Omagh, Northern Ireland – In a poignant testimony at a public inquiry into the 1998 Omagh bombing, it was revealed that Veda Short, a 56-year-old mother of four, had just met her newborn grandchild the day before she was killed in the attack. The tragic irony underscored the devastation brought about by the Real IRA’s car bomb in Omagh’s town center on a bustling Saturday afternoon, killing 29 people including Short and a woman pregnant with twins.
Short, a clothes shop manager well-loved in her community, had been weathering the grief of her mother’s death the previous year and had recently enjoyed a holiday in Alicante with her husband. Described as family-oriented, her death left her husband devastated and with deteriorating health until his passing six years later, a loss her family deemed another casualty of the attack.
At the time of the explosion, Short was among those evacuated from Watterson’s into nearby Market Street where she, along with colleagues Ann McCombe and Geraldine Breslin, suffered fatal injuries. The inquiry heard how Short’s life was taken in a brutal manner, leaving behind a bereaved family and a shattered community.
The bombing not only claimed the lives of residents but also affected those visiting town for rare occasions. Philomena Skelton, who only frequented Omagh twice a year, was there to buy school uniforms for her children. She died in the aftermath of the blast, found by her husband Kevin in the rubble – a stark reminder of the bomb’s indiscriminate cruelty.
Among the younger victims was 15-year-old Lorraine Wilson, killed alongside her best friend Samantha McFarland while they were working at a local Oxfam shop. Wilson had aspirations of becoming an air hostess, dreams unfulfilled due to the tragedy.
Julia Hughes, a 21-year-old university student working a summer job in a photography shop, also perished. She was planning to return to Dundee University in Scotland to complete her accountancy degree. Her funeral reflected the profound grief and unanswered questions surrounding her untimely death.
The Real IRA claimed responsibility for the bombing three days post-attack, asserting that their intended targets were commercial rather than civilian. Despite this claim, the incident led to no criminal convictions. In 2009, four men were found civilly liable and ordered to pay damages totaling £1.6 million, although this did little to alleviate the ongoing anguish and frustration of the victims’ families.
Nearly three decades since the tragedy, the public inquiry, now in its second week and conducted at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh, has become a platform for these families. They seek answers to whether or not the UK authorities could have prevented the attack. Testimonies from first responders and family members of the deceased provide a grim, yet vital record of the attack’s impact and the lingering scars left upon the community.
The inquiry, a result of years of relentless advocacy by the relatives of the victims, also casts a spotlight on international cooperation. The Irish government, although not initiating a separate inquiry, has pledged support for the ongoing investigations.
As the fourth week of testimony approaches, the inquiry not only revisits the events leading to the tragedy but also scrutinizes the effectiveness of subsequent legal and governmental responses. For the families involved, it represents a continued pursuit of justice and closure, a tangible recognition of their loss and a communal reflection on preventing future tragedies.