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THE OMAGH BOMBING Inquiry has today heard tributes to two talented teenagers and a “gentle giant” who were killed in the blast.
Some 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, were killed in the Real IRA bomb attack in the Co Tyrone town on 15 August, 1998.
The inquiry will examine whether the atrocity could have been prevented.
Commemorative and personal statement hearings will continue over the next two weeks.
Scottish judge Alan Turnbull, who is overseeing the probe, said he hopes all who support such acts of violence will learn of the actual indiscriminate and devastating consequences.
“Those beyond Omagh who listen and watch will, as I was, be shocked at the level of grief imposed on ordinary decent members of society doing nothing other than living their daily lives,” he said.
A mother said she was living a nightmare every day after her teenage daughter was killed in the Omagh bombing, the inquiry was told today.
Brenda Logue, a talented Gaelic footballer, was 17 when she died in the 1998 atrocity.
She was one of several victims of the atrocity remembered in commemorative statements today.
The Omagh Bombing Inquiry was told that her mother Mary Logue had been diagnosed with cancer eight months ago, and died on 10 November.
In the months leading up to her death, she told her sons what she would like to include in her commemorative statement that she would be unable to deliver in person.
Her oldest son Cathal, accompanied by his brother Carl, read out her statement today.
The statement from Mary Logue said: “On 15 August, 1998, like any normal Saturday, we took my mother into the town – myself and Brenda.
“The last thing I remember of Brenda was her ponytail swishing as she walked out the door. The blast would throw me back into a wall, and I would be knocked unconscious, or so I was told.
“When I came around, I knew in my heart she was gone, but I got up, went out to look for her.
“The bomb was Saturday. It would be five days before her body was brought home, and she was buried on Friday.”
Brenda was remembered as a sweet-natured girl who naturally took charge: “She never went with the crowd, always a shepherd, never the sheep.”
The inquiry also heard that Brenda successfully fought for the right for girls at Dean Maguirc Secondary School to wear trousers, arguing that it was unfair that they should be cold in skirts.
The inquiry was also told of Brenda’s “love of football”, which stemmed from her brothers, and that her fearless attitude made her a “natural goalkeeper”.
She would represent her club at many age levels and go on to be selected for the Tyrone minor and senior panels.
“She had great potential and I often wonder just how far she would have went.
“Tyrone ladies would go on to win the All-Ireland in 2018. Would she have been part of that set-up? Would she have walked the Hogan Stand steps to lift the All-Ireland trophy?”
The Tyrone County Board has also named the Junior Championship Cup after Brenda, which has been presented by the family since.
She also questioned if her cancer would have been discovered earlier, or if she would have been in as poor health if her daughter had not been killed.
“They say stress feeds cancer. Is this the cause of years of stress, having had to bury my child and her at such a young age because of an event completely out of my control.
Mary Logue said the family’s “world fell apart” following the Omagh bombing, adding: “Losing a child is every parent’s worst nightmare, and I have lived that nightmare every day for the last 26 years.”
The inquiry also heard how a 17-year-old Jolene Marlow was denied the chance to “accomplish her life’s full potential”.
In a statement read out on behalf of Jolene’s mother Bridie, the inquiry was told of her strong academic abilities and how she went through her schooling a year younger than most of the other pupils in her class.
“Jolene’s early attendance at secondary school never stopped her from achieving success in both her studies and her sporting activities.
“She excelled in playing ladies’ Gaelic football and camogie where she represented both her school and parish teams at the same time.
“In fact, on 8 August 1998 – just one week before the Omagh bomb – Jolene was a key player in the winning team for St Macartan’s, who won their first-ever county final.”
Jolene was the eldest of her sister and three brothers.
Her mother’s statement said: “I can remember feeling so emotional on the evening of her leaving mass, I couldn’t help but think our eldest child was now ready to start the next chapter in her education and life, only now she would be doing it in Belfast.
“We always secretly dreaded the thought of Jolene being in Belfast in case the Troubles would flare up.
“Little did we know then that our home town of Omagh, where Jolene had attended school, had a part-time job, was learning to drive, socialised and shopped, would be the actual place where she would be denied all of her hopes and dreams, of her bright future.
“Jolene was a loving daughter, a caring sister to her four siblings, a role model for her schools, a great team player for her sports teams, a responsible employee, a special friend to her then boyfriend of 10 months, a much-loved granddaughter, niece, cousin and a friend to all who knew her.”
The inquiry also heard about “loving husband” and “amazing” father-of-three Brian McCrory.
He was a former fireman and was 54 when he was killed in the blast.
In a statement read out on behalf of his daughter Louise, the inquiry heard that McCrory was a “good, decent and hardworking” man.
“He had a strong faith and was dedicated to his family. He had a kindness and a gentle spirit that anyone who knew him experienced, and a beautiful, warm, open smile that made you feel comfortable and safe.
“We are so very lucky to have had the chance to share our lives with someone so very special and we should have been given much longer to experience and share our lives with this unassuming, good-natured, quiet and much-loved man.”
Louise McCrory said no words could ever begin to portray the loss and hurt as well as the “fear and panic from that day that never really leaves”.
She said her mother had lost her “one-in-a-million husband”, “best friend and confidant”.
She added: “He was beyond patient and kind. I do not recall him ever raising his voice to us in his life.”
McCrory’s daughter recalled how they each visited his graveside on their wedding days.
She said it was “heartbreaking” that he never had the chance to enjoy life with his own grandchildren.
McCrory’s statement said her father was a hard worker that, after a short stint in the fire service, spent the rest of his life in the family business.
The inquiry heard McCrory “loved taking photographs” and was regularly designated as the photographer at a range of family events.
He was in Omagh on the morning of the bombing to get photographs developed at the chemist while collecting a prescription.
The statement added: ““We have missed out on so many things post the 15 August, 1998.
“As a family, instead, our family events are overshadowed by an immeasurable loss and always a constant awareness of our missing husband, father and friend – our gentle giant.”
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