THE ANNUAL public memorial to victims of the Omagh bombing should end after this year’s commemoration, say organisers.
This August will mark 20 years since the Real IRA car bomb that claimed 29 lives.
Organisers now want this year’s ‘milestone’ commemoration to mark an end to the annual public memorials.
The Omagh Self-Help and Support Group, which comprises 170 victims of the devastating bomb, said: “The 20th anniversary is a milestone for those closely affected as well as the wider community who were moved by this horrific event.
“There is a sense that this point in time offers an opportunity to start to dissolve and disperse the routine of the memorial.”
They added: "The intention of this phase associated with the 20th anniversary is to allow creative processes to bring transitional steps beyond the existing format of the annual anniversary services, so that remembering in the future will not be formalised and therefore private.”
They have proposed that future public memorials should perhaps take place every five years, with the next being on the 25th anniversary in 2023.
The news comes as the Irish Government pledged £16,000 to the organisation for special commemoration events this summer, according to the Irish Independent.
This will include an art installation by artist Carol Kane.
The Omagh bombing claimed 29 lives on August 15, 1998 after a car bomb planted by the Real IRA exploded.
People from both sides of the border were among the fatalities, as well as two people from Spain.
James Barker, 12, from Buncrana in Co. Donegal, had moved to Ireland from England with his family the previous year.
The blast also claimed the lives of three generations of one family – Mary Grimes, 65, her daughter Avril Monaghan, 30, and granddaughter Maura Monaghan, 18 months.
Mary and Maura were the oldest and youngest victims of the blast respectively.
Avril, a mother of four children under seven, was seven months pregnant with twins when she died.
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