Omagh blast ended young girls' hopes

Bomb exploded in Market Street causing devastation

Omagh inquest: Day 11

The inquest into the deaths of 29 people killed by the Real IRA bomb in Omagh has heard how the lives and hopes of three teenage girls were cut short.

John Leckey, coroner at the inquest into the dissident republican bomb, which killed 29 people in the County Tyrone town on 15 August 1998, said the victims had had all their lives ahead of them, but tragically it was not to be.

On its 11th day sitting in Omagh leisure centre the inquest heard about the deaths of Brenda Logue 17, Jolene Marlow 17 and 15- year-old Lorraine Wilson.

Mr Leckey said it was tragic that the girls had been "teenagers with all of life in front of them and plans already made as to how they saw their future careers developing" when they died.

The mother of Brenda Logue from Loughmacrory near Carrickmore in County Tyrone described clawing through the rubble after the explosion in an attempt to find her daughter.

Brenda Logue had wanted to study tourism

In a statement, Mrs Logue said she and her daughter were accompanied by Brenda's grandmother, Philomena McCullagh, on a shopping trip to Omagh.

They were in Barratt's shoe shop when they were told of the bomb alert by police and instructed to go towards Market Street, the scene of the explosion, following misleading telephone warnings from the bombers.

Mrs Logue said she and her mother went into the SD Kells Drapery, the shop which took the major impact of the 500 lb bomb when it exploded, while Brenda went outside to see what was happening.

Mrs Logue said: "I heard a moan. I could see a body to my right but the moan came to the left. I pulled at the rubble but could find nothing.

"I called at Brenda but could get no reply. I knew in my heart that Brenda was not alive."

She said Brenda's her exam results arrived two days after she died.

She had been planning to study leisure and tourism in college.

Jolene Marlow had secured a place on a physiotherapy course

Jolene's Marlow's A-level results came out the week after her death, confirming her university place on a physiotherapy course, the inquest was told.

Her sister was also injured in the blast.

In a statement to the inquest, Jolene's family appealed to the people who caused the atrocity to consider the pain and destruction they had caused.

The statement read out by their lawyer, said: "We appeal to the people who caused this bomb to consider the pain and destruction they caused and hope that no other families have to suffer what the people of Omagh have gone through."

The inquest also heard details of the death of Lorraine Wilson, who was killed along with her friend and fellow Oxfam volunteer shop worker, Samantha McFarland, 17.

Lorraine had hopes of becoming an air hostess.

Lorraine Wilson had hoped to become an air hostess.

The families of three other victims also attended the inquest on Thursday.

Shop assistant Geraldine Breslin was described by one eyewitness as calling out for her husband, Mark, amid the carnage after the bomb, in spite of her own severe injuries.

Mrs Breslin, a 43-year-old mother of a teenage boy, died eight hours after the blast, the inquest was told.

She appeared to be a woman "fighting very much to live", Mr Leckey said.

Crane driver Brian McCrory, 54, was said to have been in the town centre that day to collect his daughter Louise.

The coroner was told that Adrian Gallagher, 21, also known as Aidan, was shopping with a friend when they were moved down the street towards the Dublin Road.

His friend, Michael Kieran Barrett, said: "All of a sudden there was a massive explosion and everywhere went black with smoke and dust and debris."

Something hit his foot and it went dead but he was briefly able to walk and "realised Adrian was not with me".

"I went back to look for him but was too weak and fell on the footpath."

James Quinn, who rushed to the scene of the bombing from a bowling club said he encountered the dying Aidan Gallagher amid the chaos.

"He turned his head away from me and let two big sighs and then he was gone," he said.

State pathologist Professor Jack Crane told the court that Aidan had been hit in the face by a piece of shrapnel which caused spinal injuries and rapid death.

Michael Gallagher: "Worked tirelessly for community"

He believed the victim would have been unconscious immediately. "I think he would not have had any knowledge of what happened to him," he said.

The dead man's father, Michael, has been at the forefront of the Omagh Self Help group for relatives since the time of the bombing.

After the inquest, local priest, Fr Kevin Mullan said Mr Gallagher had, with others, carried "the terrible burden of this tragedy".

"He has worked tirelessly for all involved in the 31 deaths in this community.

"Today I saw a father who was crying inside himself for his only son. That was the reality of Omagh.

"He carried so many others. Today he had to be carried himself."

Father Kevin Mullan added: "The families have not just been exposed to the horror but also the heroism that happened in this town that day and heard wonderful accounts of humanity and courage of the people who helped their loved ones in those last moments."

Meanwhile, on Thursday evening police diverted motorists away from the Campsie area of Omagh town centre during a bomb alert, which was later discovered to be a hoax.