A MAN who lost three generations of his family in the Omagh bombing has written a book dedicated to their memory to be published near the 10th anniversary of the bomb and what would have been his wife's 75th birthday.
Beragh farmer Mick Grimes lost his wife Mary, granddaughter Maura and daughter Avril, who was pregnant with twins in the blast, devastating his entire family.
Even more heartrending was the fact that they had set off on their shopping trip into th
e town to celebrate his wife’s 65th birthday.
They never came home and his wife was never to see the flowers waiting on the kitchen table bought by her husband of more than 40 years, or any of the birthday cards from her 11 children, and life was never the same again in the homely farmhouse in the small Co Tyrone village.
Mr Grimes said he decided to write the book and dedicate it to his wife’s memory.
He said: “On different occasions over the years Mary sometimes hinted that I should try to write a book, but I knew in my heart that it was beyond my capability.
“Then in the years after the Omagh atrocity in 1998, the fact that I had made no effort to comply with my wife’s request sometimes caused me concern.
“About 18 months ago I decided to make an attempt.
“No doubt some readers will frown at my endeavour, but I like to think that somewhere beyond the great divide there is one who smiles.”
Mick, who’s now retired from farming, has dedicated his book Till We Meet Again to his wife, his daughter Avril Monaghan, her daughter Maura and Avril’s unborn twins, and to all those who lost their lives in the tragedy on August 15, 1998.
Till We Meet Again is described as “an insightful, charming and touching personal account of life ‘as it used to be’ in rural Northern Ireland”.
Mr Grimes gives a first-hand account of farming and family life lived in his close knit community in Beragh.
The narrative is punctuated with stories, humorous anecdotes, poems and observations, as he takes the reader from the ‘Hungry Thirties’ through wartime Ireland to present day.
Mr Grimes also gives a poignant account of the horrendous loss suffered by his family in the Omagh tragedy and his tender poetry offers a glimpse into the great love for the lost members of his family that still burns strong 10 years after the atrocity took them away.
The book will be launched at 8pm on Monday at Omagh library.
Till We Meet Again costs £10 or e12.50, and will be available at selected Easons bookshops and newsagents nationwide from Monday.
The book can also be purchased via the website http://tillwemeetagain.synthasite.com.
The full article contains 475 words and appears in News Letter newspaper.
