Omagh bomb memorial window to be unveiled

A stained glass window will be unveiled in Buncrana this weekend in memory of the victims of the Omagh bomb. Three youngsters from the Inishowen town – James Barker (12), Oran Doherty (8) and Sean McLaughlin, along with two Spanish visitors, Fernando Blasco Baselga (12) and Rocio Abad Ramos (23), who were accompanying them on a trip to the Co. Tyrone town, were among the 29 people killed in the explosion which occurred on August 15, 1988. The window is part of “The Windows of Hope” project, the brainchild of Derry-based community worker and Shared City Project co-ordinator Jeanette Warke. Funded and supported by Derry City Council and the Community Relations Council of Northern Ireland, the project also commemorates the Claudy bombing in 1972. Windows, designed and created by the families of those killed, will also be dedicated in Omagh, Madrid and Claudy. Scoil Iosagain National School in Buncrana will host the first of the Window of Hope stained glass window unveiling ceremonies this Saturday afternoon, August 15, at 3.00pm, while the Central Library in Omagh will unveil its window the following day, Sunday, August 16, at 3.00pm. Later in the month, on Saturday, August 29, the Diamond Centre, Claudy, will be the venue for their event. Jeanette Warke said working on the project had been a great experience for everyone involved. She added: “It was a great honour for me to be part of the project and to afford the families temporary relief from the trouble and pain they continue to endure with the loss of their loves ones in the horrific aftermath of the bombs in Claudy and Omagh,” She concluded: “The families hope the windows will send out a message of hope to all affected by the Troubles on the island of Ireland,” she explained. The stained glass windows were created with the help of artist Bridget Murray with an input from the various family members and feature a range of symbols that are important to each of them including the Buncrana coat of arms, the Madrid coat of arms, the iris flower, the lily, the sun and a candle. Jim Arbuckle assisted with the design and brochure while Alpha Designs produced the stained glass windows.