Sir, - I have just returned from a funeral in the Fourth Chapel outside Clogher. On that historic hillside we laid to rest the mangled remains of a baby girl and her mother, who had been expecting twins. Four irreplaceable lives, snuffed out in an act of reckless madness.
I had not expected to return to Clogher so soon. The week before last, I had participated in the very enjoyable Carleton Summer School, held in the splendour of Corick house. The special guest there was Dr Ben Kiely, the Dromore-born and Omagh-reared author. Among the many accolades paid to Dr Kiely was a well-deserved tribute to the courage and eloquence with which he had denounced the atrocities inflicted on his beloved homeland in the name of warped "patriotism". Such irony, then, that murder returned to Omagh on Ben's birthday - August 15th, the feast of the Assumption.
William Carleton was no stranger to the obscenity which has again visited us. Read Wildgoose Lodge and catch the same mindlessness which drove that bomb into a crowd of innocent shoppers on Saturday. Through two centuries, the disease persists intact. Thankfully, its incidence has dwindled to tiny (but still malignant) proportions.
Despite the horror which has visited us, we must not forget the progress made. Despair must not gain ascendancy: if it did the bombers would have won. This assault on our community will be defeated by the fantastic solidarity and humanity which has been displayed in the hours and days since the atrocity. It is the sacred duty of anyone in a position of influence to contribute to this indomitable spirit - no room remains for negativity or ambivalence. - Yours, etc., Cllr Pat McDonnell (SDLP),
Dromore,
Co Tyrone.