Northern Ireland

Events planned to mark 30th anniversary of Shankill bombing

The aftermath of the Shankill bombing in 1993.
The aftermath of the Shankill bombing in 1993.

MEMORIAL events will be held from next weekend in Belfast to mark the 30th anniversary of the Shankill bombing.

A commemoration parade is being held on Saturday in honor of the nine victims of the IRA attack, which took place on October 23 1993.

The no-warning explosion also killed one of the bombers behind the attack, and is remembered as one of the worst atrocities of the Troubles.

Saturday's memorial is being organised by the Michael (Minnie) Morrison Foundation, named for 27-year-old victim Michael Morrison, who was killed in the blast along with partner Evelyn Baird (27) and their seven-year-old daughter Michelle.

A parade will be held before participants arrive at the site of the bombing, where a short religious service will take place, along with wreath-laying by local community groups.

A new memorial will be unveiled at the site, while details of a new "living memorial" will be revealed, a spokesperson for the Michael Morrison Foundation said.

"It is difficult to believe that the 30th anniversary is less than a week away when on that awful day in October 1993, in the blink of an eye, nine innocent people were murdered when IRA terrorists wreaked murder and mayhem on the people of the Shankill," the spokesperson said of the bombing, which took place at Frizzell's fish shop on a busy Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, on Monday October 23, a commemoration service to remember victims of the bombing will take place at West Kirk Presbyterian Church on the Shankill Road.