A small army of dark-suited men with clipboards (mostly claims assessors) and media folk stepped lightly over a carpet of glass and debris in the Co Armagh town of Markethill yesterday. Groups of locals stared in bewilderment, shock and anger as they came to grips with the fact that yet another bomb had devastated their homes and businesses. Clocks read 11.48 - the time of the blast. While some felt things had gone back to the old days of the bomb and the bullet, others were determined the future was more important.
Residents were quiet yesterday. They did not have to express their feelings to each other - they had done it all before. It was a matter of clearing up the mess and getting back to business.
The managing director of Markethill Livestock Sales, Mr Greer Robinson, whose mart bore the brunt of the 400lb blast, said local farmers joined staff and worked through the night to prepare for yesterday's sheep sales. "We always had a cross-community sale yard," he said.
A calf was put down on Tuesday, while another calf received five stitches. Three cattle went to the abattoir yesterday morning.
There is anger in Markethill with the Compensation Agency, which deals with claims following terrorist explosions. Mr Robinson said: "The last bomb we had was in 1991 and our compensation was just cleared up in June this year." However, he expressed hope that it would not be so difficult this time.
A local farmer, Mr Mervyn Ross, was on his way to the mart on Tuesday when he spotted an RUC car driving past with its sirens blaring.
"People started running out of shops," said Mr Ross. Because of the heavy traffic and the fact that there were only two policemen, he decided to stop vehicles and urged them to turn back before the RUC arrived.
"The aftermath was that people were running about like headless chickens, worried about children at school, about cookers switched on, doors left open, wondering how their homes were. There was no way of getting back to check. For an hour and a half it was just mayhem.
"In that crowd, a third of it would have been Roman Catholics and they were in the exact same boat as everyone else. They were victims the same as everyone else."
Mr Ross described the terrorists as "mad animals" for whom terrorism had become a way of life. "Peace doesn't suit them because they will be out of business."
The Portadown Orange Order chaplain, the Rev William Bingham, who is originally from Markethill, was yesterday helping his brother, David, to clear up the devastation to his chemist shop.
Mr Bingham said he was disappointed and upset but was looking forward to getting going again. "It's more looking forward than looking back," said Mr Bingham, who has already found alternative accommodation and will be back open for business this morning.
A Catholic mother of four, who preferred not to be named, said she was "disgusted" at what had happened.
"Do these people not realise there was a school full of young children close by? What purpose does it serve when you can't go to the supermarket for nappies or get a cough bottle from the chemist? "These people are hurting all the ordinary people of this town, including the children. It doesn't matter what their politics are, they shouldn't be at that. They should be sitting in front of their enemy and talking instead of skulking into towns with bombs."
Ms Alison Strong, a partner in J D Hunter supermarket, said the firm, which employs 30 full-time staff and many casuals, would be forced to close for some weeks because of structural damage. "It was totally unexpected. I didn't think it would happen again in Markethill."
Mr John Wylie, a publican, was not evacuated from his home. "I was in the house having a cup of tea when I heard a bang. It knocked me to the floor. I ran out the back because I thought it was a gas cylinder in the bar and all this stuff came showering down round me."
An Ulster Unionist councillor, Mr Eric Speers, who lives near Markethill, said it was annoying that, just after the reconstruction of Markethill following the last bomb was finishing, another bomb would destroy the town.
"People are very sad, very cross. Their anger has led them to a spirit of determination to get back into business as quickly as possible."