Summary

  • The Omagh Bombing Inquiry is examining whether the worst atrocity of the Troubles could have been prevented

  • This is the second week and day four of the inquiry, which is happening in Strule Arts Centre in the County Tyrone town

  • Twenty-nine people, including a woman expecting twins, were murdered in the Real IRA attack on 15 August 1998

  • Esther Gibson's four sisters paid tribute to a devoted Christian, known for her warmth and generosity

  • Shaun McLaughlin's mum told her story via her sister. The 12-year-old was "lively and content" and had written a poem about peace

  • Oran Doherty's mother had not really wanted her happy-go-lucky eight-year-old to go on the trip to Omagh

  • Ronan McGrory, who was in the same group as Shaun and Oran, relives the day which still haunts him 26 years later

Live Reporting

Edited by Caroline McClatchey. Warning: This page contains distressing details

  1. 'Cruelly robbed of a new life'

    Inquiry chairman Rt Hon Lord Turnbull responds to the tributes by thanking her four sisters for sharing them.

    He says Ms Gibson was “plainly a generous and caring Christian person" who had “a strong sense of community”.

    She was a role model for others, he adds, through her “life and personality”.

    Ms Gibson, he said, had been “cruelly robbed” of a new life “full of promise and happiness”.

  2. 'Broken spirits, shattered dreams'

    Caroline Martin sits at a desk behind two microphones. She has short blond hair and is wearing a feathery black coatOmagh Bombing Inquiry

    Caroline Martin read a poem on behalf of her three other sisters. Esther was the eldest.

    Esther Gibson's sister, Caroline Martin, began her testimony with a poem written by a close relative.

    It referred to Ms Gibson as a "silent, special bridesmaid" at Ms Martin's wedding.

    The pair had agreed that the younger sister would get married first.

    The poem references a bouquet of blue flowers which were left on the communion table on Ms Martin's wedding day as a tribute to her sister.

    It ends: "Broken spirits, shattered dreams, blue ribbons holding together memories, sweet memories that will linger always."

  3. 'Warmth and generosity' remembered

    A cover page of a presentation which says Pen Portrait on Behalf of the Gibson Family, with a picture of Esther Gibson beside it. She is wearing a polar neck and a silver necklaceOmagh Bombing Inquiry

    This morning's hearing begins with a tribute to Esther Gibson, who was shopping on the day of the attack.

    Pictures of Ms Gibson are played on a screen as an overview of her life is narrated by her niece.

    She is described as a devoted Christian, who was known for her "warmth and generosity".

    It adds that Ms Gibson was "deeply loved" by her family and her absence is profoundly felt.

  4. Inquiry begins

    The second week of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry is now under way.

    You can stream the inquiry by clicking "watch live" at the top of this page.

  5. 'I died with her'

    Omagh bomb victim Esther GibsonGibson family

    One of those who will be commemorated on Monday is Esther Gibson, a Sunday school teacher who was shopping in Omagh when she died.

    The 36-year-old had been preparing for her wedding, which was due to take place the following summer, and she and her fiancé Kenneth had their engagement portrait taken in the town that day.

    After her death Kenneth said: "When they killed her I died with her."

    You can read more about the 29 victims here.

  6. Remembering the Buncrana schoolboys

    Eight year old Oran Doherty standing in a garden wearing a black shirtDoherty family

    The first day of the second week of the inquiry will remember two schoolboys from Buncrana in the Republic of Ireland.

    Eight-year-old Oran Doherty was a student at Buncrana Primary School, and was killed alongside friends James Barker and Shaun McLaughlin.

    He had been looking forward to the trip to Omagh and his sister gave him sweets for the journey because had was a bad traveller, she said.

    A smiling Shaun McLaughlin stands in front of a wall. He is wearing a blue sweatshirtMcLaughlin family

    Tributes will also be heard on Monday to Shaun McLaughlin, 12, who went to the same school and lived close to his friend Oran in their hometown in County Donegal.

    He was a Manchester United supporter and an altar boy at a church in Buncrana.

    You can read more about the 29 victims here.

  7. What happened in Omagh on 15 August 1998?

    Two men stand in the rubble and aftermath of the 1998 omagh bombPA Media

    The bomb detonated in a car parked in the middle of the town

    The Omagh bombing on 15 August 1998 killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.

    The dissident republican Real IRA later claimed responsibility for the attack, in which more than 200 people were injured.

    It exploded on a busy Saturday afternoon.

    The town's streets were packed with shoppers, including families buying uniforms and other school supplies for the beginning of the new term.

    It is the worst single atrocity of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

    The attack took place four months after the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

    The Real IRA - a dissident republican paramilitary group - disagreed with the decision of the much larger Provisional IRA to call a ceasefire ahead of the talks.

    To read a detailed timeline of events, click here.

  8. Good morning

    A composite image of three victims of the Omagh bombing. The first on the left is Oran Doherty, a young boy with a short haircut wearing a black shirt. The second is Shaun McLaughlin who is smiling at the camera. He has short, brown hair and is wearing a blue hoodie. The third is Esther Gibson who has large, circular glasses and shoulder length blonde hair with a full fringe.Family Pictures

    Oran Doherty, eight, Shaun McLaughlin, 12, and Esther Gibson, 36

    Good morning, and welcome back to the second week of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry.

    The inquiry is examining whether the attack could have been prevented.

    Twenty-nine people, including a woman expecting twins, were murdered in the Real IRA attack on 15 August 1998.

    Last week, commemorative hearings from victims' families and friends began.

    Today, we'll hear tributes to schoolboys Oran Doherty, eight, and Shaun McLaughlin, 12, as well as Esther Gibson, 36.

    The inquiry is due to begin at 11:00 GMT.