Lord Turnbull comments on the poem that was read out by Laurence's son Andrew.

"The poem conveys with sensitivity and meaning the strength of their bond together and the chasm of loss which took its place," he says,

He thanks the family for sharing their father's poems with him and the care they took preparing their statement for the inquiry.

His remarks conclude the day's evidence and the inquiry will not sit again this week.

It is due to return at 10:00 on Monday.

Inquiry chairman Lord Turnbull thanks the Rush family for a "thoughtful, passionate and informative statement".

He says he learned from the statement that through Libbi's business in Market Street she had become well-known throughout Omagh.

"Libbi Rush was plainly a source of great support and guidance to her own family but I also learned that her wise and gentle nature had caused her to be much liked and respected throughout the wider community of Omagh," he says.

He comments that Libbi's widower Laurence became a campaigner for "truth and justice" and demanded answers about previous attacks, what was known and what was or was not done.

"He was the first to raise some of the questions that these inquiry will seek to determine," Lord Turnbull says.

The inquiry is also shown what Paul Greaney KC calls a “wedding reel presentation” - a series of slides, video and pictures of Libbi Rush and the life she shared with her family.

It includes footage of her and husband Laurence’s wedding day, photographs of their children when they were young and their children, Libbi’s grandchildren as well as her great grandchildren.

It documents among all the many aspects of her life, her business life, her love of travel and love of “adventures and experiences” and remembers too Laurence and his campaign work.

Their son Andrew reads a poem written by Laurence, written in December 1999, titled Petals of Hope.

Siobhan says the family would like to thank the inquiry for giving them the opportunity to express their feelings the best they can.

"We know the inquiry does not have an easy task and we are experienced enough to know from the legal travails that our father endured that any legal process and any system of justice is always imperfect," she says.

She says the terms of the inquiry are wide enough that even her father would have been satisfied with them.

"We implore all those involved in this public inquiry to cooperate and assist the inquiry fully," she says.

The Rush family, Siobhan continues, hope the inquiry “will not restrict or limit its view”.

She asks that all participants will see the world “from the victims' perspective before passing judgement”.

Controlling the narrative, she adds, has been used historically to defend awful acts.

The truth and justice her father sought “was a way of setting himself free” from the "unwelcome trauma" of the Omagh bomb, “exacerbated by allegations of state involvement and cover up”.

She says he brought these allegations t to public attention via “legal action against the police and British government”.

“Our father’s quest for justice, truth and accountability is well known,” she says.

His path, she adds, had been "unique and original".

Siobhan describes the Omagh bomb as a crime against humanity.

“There were policies in place to ignore or deescalate any tensions in the current narrative” she says.

Her father Laurence’s quest for the truth exposed the bombing as “ a premediated war tactic,” she says.

“We believe that until we address the root causes and social injustices, we will never see resolutions.

“Peace will never prevail. Our children will continue to be enemies divided by inaccuracies in their history."

Siobhan says her mother "loved her family with every bone in her body".

She says her love and support carried her own family and Laurence's family through many dark and challenging times despite her own needs.

Siobhan is talking about her father's campaign for justice and answers, saying he was often met with ridicule.

Conversations, she says, were ignored by politicians and the security services who did not want to talk to victims and even some friends and family avoided the subject.

She says Laurence "relentlessly confronted all" and that the reason why was simple - he loved Libbi - "his wife, the mother of his children and his soulmate".

She was the glue that held the family together, Siobhan says.

She describes her as "private and humble" and "the moral compass we set our own lives by".

"She had empath, respect and compassion for others," Siobhan says.

Libbi was born in Killyclogher, Siobhan says, and lived in Omagh for most of her life.

She had married in 1969 at the age of 19, and had a coffe shop, and later a gift shop on Omagh’s market street– “the scene of the bombing” - for 27 years.

Siobhan says her mum had a love of craft work, selling what she made in her gift shop.

She was well known to all and made numerous good friends, Siobhan says, saying she was a good listener and many would call to her shop to seek advice.

She was widely known for “her discretion and gentle nature”.

“This was a simple quiet and normal family life of a woman, a mother and her family, that was destroyed,” she says.

Siobhan is now talking about the day of the bomb when she was travelling through the town by bus.

"When the bus arrived at the traffic lights in the centre of Omagh it was a scene of complete carnage," she says.

"The bus turned, taking an alternative route to the bus depot. It was apparent that evil was in the air."

She says that a parade was schedule for 15:00 that day and there were women and children in fancy dress, they were "crying and distressed".

"I ran from the depot, concerned about my mother. A policeman with blood on his shirt recognised me and directed me to the hospital," she says.

She describes the scenes at the hospital, saying: "Confusion and fear filled the air like the apocalypse."

Siobhan says that many in society feel "we should move on and forget the past."

"They will however never understand, until they consider things from the point of view of a victim or survivor," she says.

She continues to say that it has been "difficult to grieve" and to "come to terms with the indignity of her untimely and violent death".

She says that in 1998 the Good Friday Agreement was signed "in response to the will of the people in the north and south of Ireland," and at the time of her mother's death, people were looking forward to a new chapter.

On the day of the bomb, Siobhan says, and despite the suffering and pain, the family found there “were no boundaries”.

“Our need to comfort, assist, love and caress each other was how we all survived that day," she says.

She recalls politicians at Omagh leisure centre that evening “posturing and deflecting and defending their positions”.

“We became divided again,” she says.

The trauma, she says, has been continuous over many years, and has had an “adverse effect” on the family.

The inquiry resumes after a short break, and is hearing tributes to Elizabeth Rush, known as Libbi.

A hat worn by the 57-year-old’s husband Laurence sits on a table as their daughter Siobhan Rose reads a statement on behalf of her and her brothers Andrew and Anthony.

After years of “silence, apathy and belligerent ignorance”, Siobhan says it is fair to say “we believe there has been a deliberate strategy to avoid responsibility by the state".

She says division does not exist in the real world, adding that “we exist in a secret world where politicians control the narrative”.

“How can we say anything when they say nothing?,” she says.

“Divisions are made by boundaries… we can not or are afraid to cross… we are compelled to cling to a broken system that has not served us well,” she says.

Tributes will now be heard for Elizabeth Rush, a mother-of-three who owned a shop with a cafe upstairs in Omagh.

She died while she was serving customers.

The 57-year-old was described by her parish priest as "a caring person, always friendly".

She and her husband Laurence married as teenagers.

After her death he condemned the perpetrators of the attack: "They haven't just destroyed my wife, they have destroyed my life."

Image source, Family handout

Lord Turnbull says "we learned that Sean was a highly successful and charismatic business man".

"He became devoted to the one grandchild he was able to know and it is obvious that he would have had so much to contribute to those who were born later and those who were denied the chance to know him," he sas.

He continues by describing the effects his death had on his family, "made even worse as he was initially expected to survive."

He concludes by saying that he is grateful to the McGrath family.

Gavin, who lived in England at the time of the bomb, goes onto say that Sean never met his two daughters.

The inquiry is told that Gavin's daughter Polly was born on 18 August 1998, Sean died less than three weeks later.

"Polly's first trip, from our home in England, to my hometown in Omagh, was to go to her grandpa's funeral. She was 19 days old," he says.

Gavin missed Polly's birth so he could be with his father at his bedside.

The statement describes the impact Sean's death had on his family.

"Talking about that horrendous day and its aftermath is simply too enormous to discuss," he says.

The inquiry is now hearing a statement read by Sean's daughter in-law Emma on behalf of his son Gavin.

It is accompanied by photographs of Sean's life.

The statement says Sean was always proud of his family and that "he could play the fool for laughs."

"Dad was a genuinely lovely man," Gavin says.

Image source, Family handout

Sean was put in an induced coma as the family lived in a limbo, Conor says.

The family kept a bedside vigil but, having convinced his mother to take a break and return to Omagh, the family were called back to the hospital.

“By the time we reached the hospital Sean had passed away. Saturday 5 September 1998,” he says.

Conor says his mother spent years fighting with the government over basic compensation.

"A barrister told her not to expect justice. He was a realist," he says.

He says the inquiry is an opportunity to tell people “about the father he knew.”

It was around 20:00 on the night of the bomb that the family knew Sean had been taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital .

They were told by a doctor there he was stable and had leg and chest injuries and shrapnel wounds.

The doctor was confident he would survive, Conor says, which was "a huge relief".

They saw him briefly as he was being moved within the hospital, a “hand squeeze” was the only contact.

But this was just the start of a three week journey in which “hope was constantly shattered”.

The family took shifts at the hospital – his brother Gavin and wife Emma were expecting their first child that week.

“Gavin had an awful experience on what should have been a joyful week," Conor says.

Baby Polly was born on 18 August.

“Sean never got to meet her, or her sister Hattie or her second daughter Emma – they would never get to know their grandfather,” Conor says.

The day of the bombing was the first day of the football season, Conor recalls.

As news filtered through, he rushed home to contact his parents.

“We could not get through to any number. All communications to Omagh seemed to be blocked. We started to worry now,” he says.

At about 16:30 a cousin phoned him and told him his dad had been taken to hospital.

The family had no idea how badly injured he was.

When he was found in the “carnage” of the hospital, the family were told he would be transferred to hospital in Belfast in a helicopter.

“Apparently Sean was taken off the helicopter a couple of times because there were others in more need – we will never know if this delay would have made any difference,” he says.