Poppy Day Bomb families pleased with revised memorial for IRA bomb victims

Families who lost loved ones in the 1987 Remembrance Sunday bombing in Enniskillen have approved a new location and amended design for a memorial, almost a year and half after it was unveiled for the 30th anniversary.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Apr 2019, 08:00 BST
Family members of victims of the Enniskillen bomb lay wreaths at the memorial to honour the victims of the Enniskillen bomb which was unveiled at Belmore Street, Enniskillen on the 30th Anniversary of the bombing. The memorial was put into storage immediately afterwards. Picture: Ronan McGrade/PacemakerFamily members of victims of the Enniskillen bomb lay wreaths at the memorial to honour the victims of the Enniskillen bomb which was unveiled at Belmore Street, Enniskillen on the 30th Anniversary of the bombing. The memorial was put into storage immediately afterwards. Picture: Ronan McGrade/Pacemaker
Family members of victims of the Enniskillen bomb lay wreaths at the memorial to honour the victims of the Enniskillen bomb which was unveiled at Belmore Street, Enniskillen on the 30th Anniversary of the bombing. The memorial was put into storage immediately afterwards. Picture: Ronan McGrade/Pacemaker

Twelve people were killed and 68 others were injured in an IRA bomb at the cenotaph.

A memorial to the victims was unveiled in 2017 at an event marking the 30th anniversary of the atrocity.

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However, the memorial was taken down and put into storage after the Catholic trust, which owns the land, said it had not been consulted.

The families' preferred designe for a memorial to their loved ones has been adapted to be installed into the gable of the Clinton Centre in Enniskillen.The families' preferred designe for a memorial to their loved ones has been adapted to be installed into the gable of the Clinton Centre in Enniskillen.
The families' preferred designe for a memorial to their loved ones has been adapted to be installed into the gable of the Clinton Centre in Enniskillen.

Steven Gault, whose father Samuel died in the blast, said at the time: “Hurt does not scrape the surface of how we are feeling.”

Relatives said they had briefed the parish priest and supplied detailed plans to locate the memorial at the entrance to the Clinton Centre, which was built on the bomb site.

However, in September Dean of the Church of Ireland Cathedral, Rev Kenneth Hall, mediated an agreement to locate the memorial in the gable of the Clinton Centre. Yesterday he said the amended design has been submitted for planning approval.

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“I am pleased to say a very positive outcome has been achieved, with which the bereaved families and all interested parties are satisfied,” he said.

Margaret Veitch, whose parents were killed in the bomb, said the families are “happy that things are progressing favourably”.

Related topics:IRAEnniskillen