Primark fire in the centre of Belfast brings back dark memories

But for others, it brings back darker memories of our recent past when a simple family shopping trip could so quickly turn to disaster as another IRA bomb ripped through buildings — creating a haze of smoke and dust and the intense heat of flames; much like the scenes we witnessed on Tuesday.

Although losing such a historic and impressive building at the heart of our capital city is deeply saddening — this time thankfully there were no screams competing with the wail of sirens.

Not all victims of our troubled past were killed or physically injured — but many remain mainly forgotten due to the fact their wounds are unseen mental scars that will never fully heal.

When they hear Sinn Fein tell us how terrible things like this are, they reach for the sick bags as they remember vividly what they and their cohorts did to our country not that long ago — and are now lauded as ‘peacemakers’ by the great and good.

We cannot and will not ever allow the past to be glossed over or rewritten to suit their agenda — for the sake of all innocent victims.

Robert Hill, Newtownabbey