Guilty of directing terrorism

August is always a painful time for the people of Omagh. Next week is the fifth anniversary of the 300 pound bomb which left 29 dead in the town - the work of the Real IRA.

The man thought to be leader of the breakaway Republican group was convicted of directing terrorism.

The verdict against Michael McKevitt from Blackrock in County Louth was delivered at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin.

Our Reporter Liz Mackean reported.

LIZ MACKEAN:
Five years after the bombing Omagh looks much like any other busy town in Northern Ireland. But while the buildings that line it, bustling market street have been rebuilt, the lives of those affected by the blast have not been so easily mended.

Father Kevin Mullin was in Omagh on that Saturday afternoon and remains close to many of the families involved.

FATHER KEVIN MULLIN:
People have made a desperate effort to reclaim life for this town. So on the commercial scene there is that big statement that we are a place of trade and life. People should come here again. Because people were staying away. Deep down, behind the facades, the anger and the pain still lurks. We are very aware of it as the anniversary draws near again.

MACKEAN:
Hundreds of people were caught up in the explosion. While some want to forget, others like Kevin Skelton say they need to remember. He still won't go near the street where the bomb went off killing his wife.

KEVIN SKELTON:
I said to the wife 'I am going to nip in next door'. So I walked into Mr Gees, a wee shop that sold ornaments and stuff. And I wasn't in 30 seconds inside. I had to go back. For she hadn't got any money, and to get these shoes she'd need money. And as I turned to come out of the shop the bomb went off.

MACKEAN:
His wife Philomena and two of their daughters were among crowds of shoppers told by police to move away from the town's Court House. Acting on a series of vague warnings they unwittingly herded people towards a parked car packed with explosives.

SKELTON:
I had walked on and I passed the bomb car twice and didn't know it. You know, it's a matter of seconds. If I had waited another minute I would have been out of the door when the bomb went off and I would have been blown to pieces. Why I missed it, it's something I find very hard to live with. I feel guilty that I am here and she is not.

MACKEAN:
Michael Gallagher's only son, 21 year old Aidan, had also decided to go shopping. He left the family home for the last time shortly before the explosion.

MICHAEL GALLAGHER:
(FATHER OF OMAGH VICTIM)
I will never forget when he looked back for the last time and he said he wouldn't be long. He went down town. At about ten past three we heard a massive explosion. You could never imagine that anybody could close car doors and look around them and see women and children shopping and walk away.

MACKEAN:
A woman pregnant with twins was among 29 people who lost their lives. 232 others were hurt and maimed. It wasn't just the heavy loss of life, the appalling injuries. What made Omagh even more shocking was its timing, four short months after the Good Friday agreement, when most of Northern Ireland had voted for a new peaceful future.

In the aftermath anti-terrorist laws were strengthened on both sides of the border. But, and this is what some families here are calling a long running sore, no-one has yet been charged with murder.

Several of the families were in Dublin to hear today's verdict. The charges against McKevitt apply to the period after the Omagh bombing. But they hold him responsible.

VICTOR BARKER:
(FATHER OF OMAGH VICTIM)
We would like to thank the Garda Siochana for their efforts and the prosecution team that have done so much to bring this case to trial today. But in particular to extend our thanks to David Rupert, the witness, for his courage in coming forward to tell the truth about the events that form the background of the charges against Michael McKevitt.

MACKEAN:
David Rupert, one time wrestler and bankrupt businessman, was paid more than $1 million by the FBI to infiltrate Republican paramilitary groups. When the defence tried to attack his credibility, the 51-year-old American told the court: "Just pure fantasy. I tried to operate in a fashion in which I steered clear of crime". He never steered clear of women though, visiting Ireland throughout the 90s with a string of girlfriends.

He moved easily in Republican circles, reporting back to the FBI, and later to MI5. There were secret meetings with McKevitt in hotels like this in the Irish countryside. McKevitt talked about planning a big attack, something to overshadow Omagh.

When asked to give evidence, Rupert told the court he had been reluctant: "I was not interested. A number of times I was told different people were going to be shot for this and that, and I suspected I would also be on that list for testifying".

Thanks to Rupert's evidence Michael McKevitt won't be coming home to Black Rock any time soon. The affluent seaside village feels a long way from the streets of Omagh.

McKevitt's wife Bernadette, sister of the hunger striker Bobby Sands, was accused by Rupert of being the Real IRA's third in command. Today she read out a statement on her husband's behalf

BERNADETTE SANDS McKEVITT:
From the outset I never expected to find justice in the Special Criminal Court. Since its inception the Special Criminal Court has shown itself to be a discredited house of law and devoid of justice. In this regard my expectations were confirmed, as I was systematically denied a fair trial throughout the past six weeks.

MACKEAN:
What of the organisation McKevitt leaves behind? Many of its members live in the countryside that straddles the border with Northern Ireland. Since his arrest McKevitt has fallen out with senior figures, who he has accused of lining their pockets with the proceeds of crime. Observers say he is now isolated.

JOHN MOONEY:
(AUTHOR "BLACK OPERATIONS")
At the moment Michael McKevitt is a lonely soul. He has no real future within the Real IRA, the Continuity IRA or the Provisional IRA. None of these groups would at the moment have anything to do with him, given that his own personal security was so seriously compromised by the British American and Irish intelligence services. In that regard he is a defunct character. Almost a figure of pity among Republicans.

MACKEAN:
Republican paramilitaries are being blamed for this attempted attack on Londonderry in June. A van loaded with explosives was spotted by police and blown up. It's part of a recent upsurge in activity by dissidents. But Tommy McKearney, once an IRA prisoner, believes an era is ending. If only his former comrades would recognise it.

TOM McKEARNEY:
(FORMER IRA PRISONER)
In terms of mounting what you would call an armed insurrection against the State. It's the ability to sustain an insurrection that counts. And there is simply isn't the support available for sustained armed insurrection. One incident is always a possibility. Nobody can ever rule that out. But in terms of maintaining a sustained campaign, there is not the support there for it at the moment.

MACKEAN:
Irish police had another success at the weekend when they arrested nine people at a woodland firing range. It's being linked to the Continuity IRA. Once considered the Real IRA's poor relation. The groups sometimes overlap. Indeed Rupert testified the Continuity IRA also had a hand in the Omagh bomb. But despite their setbacks, they remain dangerous.

MOONEY:
I think we are either going to see more bombs or a slow reduction in the amount of attacks they have been involved in. But I don't think they are going to go away. I think as long as there is a British presence in Northern Ireland there is an element of disorganisation, be it the Real IRA, be it the Continuity IRA or be it simply disaffected members of the Provisional IRA, will always remain or see themselves as a force to be reckoned with in Northern Ireland, and will continue to mount operations against British forces who are present here.

MACKEAN:
For violent Republican groups Michael McKevitt's conviction is the latest blow. But with their money and their expertise no-one is writing them off as a spent force. As for their motivation, their former comrades in the IRA signed up for peace largely because they were persuaded that politics can work. But with Stormont still suspended the hardliners will be hoping for disillusionment to set in. and on both sides of the border there is a fear that in the vacuum they are just waiting to make their mark.

As the anniversary of the bombing approaches, Omagh is preparing for what will be the town's final annual memorial service.

Irish and British police say the search for evidence against the suspected bombers will continue. But a group of families has lost confidence in the investigation and is pursuing a civil action against those they hold responsible.

They may not have seen anyone charged with murder, but there is some comfort at least that the man they blame for killing their loved ones is tonight facing a long prison sentence.

This transcript was produced from the teletext subtitles that are generated live for Newsnight. It has been checked against the programme as broadcast, however Newsnight can accept no responsibility for any factual inaccuracies. We will be happy to correct serious errors.