Summary

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

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

  • Thursday will be the seventh day of hearings

  • The inquiry hears 17-year-old Samantha McFarland had been due to be a bridesmaid in September 1998

  • Sean McGrath was a businessman who was killed when the bomb exploded in the street where he was born 61 years earlier

  • Elizabeth "Libbi" Rush, who ran a business in Market Street, is described as the "moral compass" of her family

Live Reporting

Edited by Luke Sproule. Warning: This page contains distressing details

  1. 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.