Garry Patrick McGillion’s niece was only a year and a half old. She became one of over 3,500 victims of terror and civil war that ravaged Northern Ireland over 30 years. 10 April marks 25 years since the peace agreement for Northern Ireland was concluded. But the bloodiest of all the many acts of violence was to come a few months later, in August 1998. It was a perfect summer Saturday. The town of Omagh was full of people, there was going to be a carnival there later that day. Garry Patrick and fiancée Donna Marie made final preparations for their wedding the following Saturday. The Omagh bomb was the bloodiest attack The one-year-old niece was involved. She was to be the flower girl at the wedding. She was going to get new shoes. They still see her little face clearly as they leave the store. – And then I don’t remember anything, I hear the sounds and the noise, but I have no actual memories after that. Absolutely none, says Donna Marie McGillion. But Garry has. news interviewed the couple a few weeks after the terrorist attack that changed their lives. Then Donna Marie used a plastic mask to reduce the burns on her face. Photo: news 25 years after the terrorist attack, Garry Patrick and Donna Marie McGillion are still strongly affected by the injuries. Both visible and invisible scars give them different challenges in everyday life. Photo: Håvard Blekastad Almås / news There was a bomb in the car parked outside the shop. It went off as they got onto the pavement. – At first it was as if I had received a shock. But when the dust settled, it was as if someone turned up the volume on the radio. And suddenly there was total chaos with alarms going off, people crying, mothers calling for their children. Will never finish the experience Among the voices he heard was that of his sister calling for her daughter, Garry’s niece. In the ruins, he found the pram and the one-year-old. He also found his fiancee, who he realized was badly injured. It hadn’t yet dawned on him that he, too, was badly burned. Garry Patrick McGillion stands as close as he can to the spot where the bomb went off 25 years ago. The turquoise memorial in the background marks the spot where the bomb that took the niece’s life went off. Photo: Håvard Blekastad Almås / news 25 years later, he is far from finished with what happened that day. – What if we hadn’t gone to town that day? What if we had gone to church first? All these what ifs go through my head all the time. The conflict in Northern Ireland “The troubles” is the term for thirty years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland, in which over 3,500 people were killed. It was about whether Northern Ireland should remain a British province or become part of the Republic of Ireland, an issue that still affects the country. Those who want Northern Ireland to remain in the British Union are called unionists, while those who want to become part of Ireland are called nationalists. The conflict has also had clear religious overtones. It has been Protestants against Catholics. In 1998, the parties entered into a peace agreement after long and hard negotiations. It is called the Good Friday Agreement or the Belfast Agreement. Northern Ireland is governed by a separate popularly elected provincial assembly and a government where power sharing between the largest nationalist party and the largest unionist party is a prerequisite. But there have been many long periods where this cooperation has broken down and the Northern Irish have not had political autonomy. The last time Northern Ireland had functioning political institutions was in February 2022. Brexit has led to phony pressure from unionist parties, who feel discriminated against from the rest of the British Union. Both he and his wife are still receiving treatment for burns. They are also psychologically very affected. But they praise the peace agreement, even if it did not prevent what happened. And even if they think it is far from perfect. Still believe in peace – We must have faith in the peace process. A great many lives have been spared because of the peace agreement, says Donna Marie McGillion. But recently, paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland have increased their activity. Police are visible on Belfast’s streets. The terror threat level for Northern Ireland was recently raised to the second highest level. Photo: Gry Blekastad Almås / news This led to the terrorist threat level for Northern Ireland being raised to the second highest level again at the end of March. British authorities believe a terrorist attack is very likely. Politically, Northern Ireland is also struggling. The peace agreement presupposes a forced coalition in the Northern Ireland government. Those who want to preserve British rule, the Unionists, and those who want Irish reunification, the Nationalists, must share power. Political unrest But in a full 9 of the 25 years that have passed since self-government was established at Stormont in Belfast, the political institutions have not been operative. Professor of political sociology Katy Hayward meets news at Queens University in Belfast. Katy Hayward is Professor of Political Sociology at Queen’s University Belfast. Photo: Gry Blekastad Almås / news – Society has changed. There is a need for a reform of the peace agreement, she says. Last year, the Democratic Unionist Party DUP left the government in protest against Brexit. Due to the demand for power sharing, the largest nationalist party Sinn Féin cannot govern the country politically either. The party won the election in Northern Ireland last May and is now the largest party in Northern Ireland. The king and Biden mark the peace news asks Sinn Féin’s party leader, Mary Lou McDonald, about her assessment of the peace agreement’s value in light of the province’s political problems. Party leader Mary Lou McDonald in Sinn Féin meets news in London. Photo: Gry Blekastad Almås / news – The peace agreement is an incredible achievement. A quarter of a century of peace in Ireland! We need to get back the feeling of a common goal, as we had 25 years ago. We must get the institutions that the Good Friday Agreement envisaged up and running again, so that they can serve the people, she says. But even though the UK and the EU recently reached a new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, the Northern Irish government is not back in business. The DUP still refuses to return to power-sharing. The magnificent Stormont buildings where the Northern Irish Assembly and government normally reside. Photo: Gry Blekastad Almås / news Both the American President Joe Biden and King Charles are expected in Belfast in the next few days. So are Bill and Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, all involved in the peace effort a quarter of a century ago. But political chaos and an elevated threat level cast shadows over the marking of 25 years of peace. In Omagh, Donna Marie and Garry are convinced that the peace work must continue. – A new Omagh must never happen. The people of Omagh are never going to allow another Omagh.
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Still feeling guilty for niece’s death – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
