Inquiry into Omagh bomb stirs memories of day lives changed forever

Twenty-nine people - including a woman pregnant with twins - died in the 1998 attack in the County Tyrone town.

The weather in Omagh reflects the mood: dreary and dark.

Many of the bereaved families have been campaigning for an inquiry into the Omagh bombing for more than a decade.

Others fear it will open old wounds.

The bombing was the biggest single atrocity in the Troubles - 29 people lost their lives, including a woman who was pregnant with twins.

Lots of people's lives changed forever that day in County Tyrone almost 25 years ago.

Omagh was bombed by the Real IRA in 1998

It doesn't take you long to walk around the town and find people who still carry that trauma every day.

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"It's a day I'll never forget," one woman told me.

"I just remember the noise and then the silence, then the chaos and devastation that ensued after. It'll stay with me forever."

Jill and Lilian work in a shop not far from where the bomb exploded

Jill and Lillian work in a shop on Market Street, not far from where the bomb exploded - they described the scene as "absolute mayhem".

Three women who worked in the shop were killed. Jill's mother was stuck in a shop when the bomb went off.

Lillian said the impact of that day in 1998 is "hard to get your head around".

Other people on Market Street were happy to stop and chat, but many wanted to reserve judgment on the inquiry.

They don't feel it's their place to comment.

"I think as a town we want to know the truth but at the same time, it's in the past. It's in a box, that day," said one shopper, who was in the Dunnes Stores car park when the bomb went off.

"I don't know if it'll help those families - I hope it does - but I suppose that's for the families to find out."

A shopworker said "you relive it every day driving up and down this town".

One man remarked that it was "about time" while another, when asked if he welcomed the news, said "very much so".