Northern Ireland

Omagh Bombing: The victims

James Barker
James Barker James Barker

Omagh bombing: The victims

James Barker

James (12) was living with his family in Buncrana, Co Donegal.

The Barkers had moved to Donegal from Surrey a year before the bombing.

James was one of three boys from Buncrana to die in the explosion. He died along with his friends Oran Doherty and Sean McLaughlin.

Fernando Blasco Baselga

Fernando (12), from Madrid, was one of several Spanish students taking part in an exchange trip to Buncrana. 

A total of 33 Spaniards and 10 people from Donegal were in a group which left Buncrana for Omagh.

The group had visited the Ulster-American Folk Park near the town and later stopped in Omagh for some shopping.

Fernando's father, Manuel Blasco, was hurt in a bomb attack in Madrid in 1992.

Geraldine Breslin

Geraldine (43), from Omagh, worked at Watterson's family outfitters.

She was killed after she left the shop. Mrs Breslin, who was married with a 15-year-old son, was a close friend and colleague of Anne McCombe.

Deborah Anne Cartwright

The 20-year-old, from Birchwood, Omagh, worked in a beauty shop in the town.

A former pupil of Omagh High School, she was due to start a textile design degree course at Manchester University.

Gareth Conway

The 18-year-old, from Carrickmore, went into Omagh to buy contact lenses and new jeans.

He was due to enrol in an engineering course in Magee in Derry.

The teenager was a footballer with Tattyreagh GAC.

Breda Devine

Breda was just 20-months-old when she was killed in the Real IRA attack.

Her mother had taken her into Omagh to shop for a wedding present for her own brother and his fiancée.

Breda's mother suffered 60% burns, fractures, shrapnel wounds and a damaged lung in the bombing. Mrs Devine's brother and his fiancée were also badly injured.

Oran Doherty

From Buncrana, the eight-year-old was with his friends Sean McLaughlin and James Barker when they caught the full force of the explosion.

A keen Celtic fan, Oran was buried in the club's jersey.

Aiden Gallagher

The 21-year-old mechanic had gone into Watterson's to buy new boots and a pair of jeans.

He would normally have been working on a Saturday afternoon but had decided to go into town with a friend instead.

His father Michael has become the most high-profile campaigner for victims of the bombing.

Esther Gibson

The 36-year-old had gone shopping in Omagh when the bomb exploded.

A factory worker, she was due to be chief bridesmaid at her sister's wedding the following month.

She was also due to get married herself the following year.

The eldest of 11 children, she grew up on a farm outside Beragh and was a Sunday school teacher at the Free Presbyterian Church at Sixmilecross.

Rev Ian Paisley officiated at her funeral.

Mary Grimes

The 66-year-old was a mother of 12 children.

A former maternity nurse who was originally from Kanturk in Co Cork, she lived on a dairy farm near Beragh.

She had gone on a shopping trip to Omagh with her daughter Avril Monaghan and granddaughter Maura Monaghan that Saturday afternoon.

All three died in the blast.

 

Olive Hawkes

The 60-year-old mother-of-two regularly went shopping in Omagh on Saturday afternoons.

A Methodist church treasurer for 20 years, she was due to celebrate her ruby wedding anniversary a few days after the bomb.

She was also a member of Beragh Women's Institute.

Julia Hughes

The 21-year-old student was an accountancy student at Dundee University.

She had returned home to Omagh for the summer and was working in photographic shop, Image Xpress, in the town's High Street.

She was evacuated from the shop but, like many others, was caught up in the explosion.

A former pupil at Omagh Academy, she had a twin brother, a second brother and a sister.

Brenda Logue

The 17-year-old was caught up in the blast after she left her mother and grandmother in a shop to see why people were running in the street outside.

Her mother and grandmother escaped with cuts and bruises.

From Carrickmore, she played football with St Teresa's GAC in Loughmacrory.

She was an only daughter.

Anne McCombe

The 48-year-old was a colleague and close friend of Geraldine Breslin. 

Mrs McCombe had worked in the fashion department of Watterson's family outfitters for 12 years.

From Summerhill Park in Omagh, she had two sons and was a member of the choir at Mountjoy Presbyterian Church.

Brian McCrory

The 54-year-old father-of-three, from Omagh, had gone into town to buy paint when the bomb exploded.

His body was found beside his parked car.

The second eldest of 10 children, Sinn Féin MP Martin McGuinness was among the mourners at his funeral at St Mary's church in Killyclogher.

Samantha McFarland

The 17-year-old, from Omagh, was killed with her best friend Lorraine Wilson.

The pair had been working in the Oxfam shop in the town and had been evacuated to Market Street.

An A-level student at Strabane College, she also volunteered in a Barnardo's shop in Omagh.

Sean McGrath

The 61-year-old, from Omagh, was the final victim of the bombing.

He had gone into town for a haircut when the car bomb exploded.

He died in Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital three weeks after the blast.

His family had run a popular bakery in Omagh until 1996.

Sean McLaughlin

The 12-year-old lived close to fellow victim Oran Doherty in Buncrana.

A keen footballer, he was an altar boy at St Michael's Oratory in the town.

President Mary McAleese was among the mourners at the schoolboy's funeral.

Jolene Marlow

The 17-year-old, from near Eskra, and her younger sister Nicola had met their 75-year-old great-aunt Bernie Shaw in Omagh.

Working at a Saturday job in a shop, she had met her sister and great-aunt for lunch. 

They later became caught up in the explosion.

A footballer with St MacCartan's, the team had won the Tyrone county championship just 10 days earlier.

She was due to receive her A-level results the following week and was hoping to study physiotherapy at the University of Ulster.

Nicola Marlow suffered hand and leg injuries in the bombing. Bernie Shaw suffered rib injuries.

Avril Monaghan

The 30-year-old, her mother Mary Grimes and daughter Maura Monaghan were among six people killed in S.D. Kells shop.

The secretary, from Aughadarra outside Omagh, had four children under the age of seven and was heavily pregnant with twin girls.

The family had earlier attended St MacCartan's Church to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption.

Their funeral was celebrated at the same church just days later.

Maura Monaghan

The 18-month-old, known affectionately as 'Mossie', was the youngest victim of the bombing.

She, her mother Avril and grandmother Mary Grimes were buried in the first of the Omagh funerals.

 

Alan Radford

The 16-year-old, from Omagh, had gone into town to help his mother with her weekly shopping.

Just before the explosion, he had left his mother to look at trainers in a sports shop.

He was on Market Street when the bomb exploded and suffered fatal shrapnel wounds.

A member of the Mormon Church, he was due to start training as a chef.

Rocio Abad Ramos

The 23-year-old was the leader of the exchange trip to Buncrana.

One of three adults who accompanied the children to Omagh, she died instantly in the bombing.

The biology student was due to return to Spain for her sister's wedding.

Elizabeth (Libby) Rush

The 57-year-old mother-of-three was killed as she served customers in the cafe of her pine and canework shop on Market Street.

From Michael Street in Omagh, she had married her husband Laurence at the age of 18.

At the time he said: “I have lost not only my wife, I have lost my soulmate.”

Mr Rush later became a formidable campaigner for justice for victims of the bombing

Veda Short

The 56-year-old had worked in the lingerie department at Watterson's family outfitters for more than 20 years.

Just hours before going into work, she had met her new grandchild born earlier that day.

She was on a lunch break and standing in Market Street when the bomb went off.

Mrs Short, a mother-of-four from Beragh, was one of three employees of Watterson's shop who were killed in the bombing.

Philomena Skelton

The 39-year-old, from Dooish, Drumquin, only visited Omagh twice a year - to buy Christmas presents and school uniforms for her children.

The mother-of-four was caught up in the blast as her daughters tried on school uniforms.

Her husband Kevin Skelton, a prominent Gaelic football and hurling referee, found her lying dead in the rubble.

He spent the next 90 minutes frantically searching for their three daughters.

The couple were due to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary at the end of August 1998.

Frederick White

A married father-of-two from Omagh, Mr White had just returned from holiday and had gone into town to do some shopping.

The 60-year-old was treasurer in the Omagh Ulster Unionist Association and an Orangeman.

He died along with his son Bryan while they were in a shop near to where the bomb exploded.

 

Bryan White

The 27-year-old died with his father Frederick in the explosion.

He had qualified as a horticulturist and was due to start a job with Omagh Council two days later.

An officer in the Boys' Brigade and a keen photographer, he was also a member of Omagh Ulster Unionist Association.

Lorraine Wilson

The 15-year-old, from Omagh, died along with her friend Samantha McFarland.

The pair had been working at the Oxfam shop when they were evacuated on to Market Street.

A pupil at Omagh High School, she was buried in her mother's wedding dress.

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