The mothers of Omagh bomb victims Shaun McLaughlin and Oran Doherty have shared statements of their agonising waits for news when their boys did not return from a school bus trip.
The boys were among those killed when Real IRA terrorists planted a bomb in the centre of the Tyrone town in August 1998.
Buncrana children Oran Doherty, who was just 8 and Shaun McLaughlin (12) and James Barker (12) died in the terrorist outrage.
Spanish student Fernando Blasco Baselga (12) and Rocio Abad Ramos, a group leader who was staying with local families in Buncrana at the time, also died.
Today’s sitting of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry heard personal statements from the relatives of Oran Doherty, Shaun McLaughlin, and Esther Gibson, a Sunday school teacher who died at the age of 36 and was due to get married.
A statement from Shaun’s mother Patricia McLaughlin was read by his aunt, Marjorie McDaid.
She recalled how she waited at the bus for the children to return from the cross-border trip to the Ulster American Folk Park, but she knew “that was the end” when he did not get off.
“The bus and the parish priest was standing at the top of the steps along with the sergeant and the driver. I asked if anybody had seen Shaun and Oran, and nobody had. I knew then that was it, that was the end.”
Shaun’s injuries were so severe that his father could only identify him from his watch.
Shaun’s aunt Marjorie said: “Shaun was a lively, lovely boy. He was always happy and content, he always found something to smile about. Then Omagh came.”
Patricia’s statement said that the media attention and attendance of political figures had turned Shaun’s funeral into a “total farce”.
“There were too many important people from the political parties,” she said.
“They all even had reserved seats, but there was no reserved seats for the three families who were burying their children.”
A poem on peace written by Shaun to be presented to the then-Irish president, Mary McAleese, was read aloud. It said: “Orange and green, it doesn’t matter, united now won’t shatter our dream.”
Oran Doherty’s sister Lisa Dillion read a commemorative statement on behalf of her mother Bernie.
“I just had a fear of letting him go,” said Bernie of that morning as Oran was excited for his trip. She remembered telling her boy to watch out in case he got separated from the group or had lost his money.
“He was eight years old, full of life and full of fun,” Bernie said.
After the bombing, she was told that two small boys were missing and that Oran was one of them. Her husband went to the Omagh Leisure Centre to look for him. The next morning, he rang to tell her the news.
“I just threw the phone. It was your worst nightmare come true,” Bernie said.
Ronan McGrory from Buncrana, who survived the bomb that killed his friends, gave a statement of the events.
Ronan McGrory was 14 years old at the time. He suffered serious physical injuries which required weeks of hospital treatment as well as psychological trauma.
He described the explosion as feeling like he was dead. The day, he said, “went from a beautiful sunny day to the darkest day ever”.
“There was a holy medal placed into my hand but I don’t know where it came from,” Ronan recalled.
“I was still holding it and they were trying to take it out of my hand and they couldn’t get my hand released to let go of it.”
Mr McGrory says he eventually sought counselling and bereavement support 20 years after the bombing. He spoke of the survivor’s guilt he felt after learning his friends had died.
“I dearly miss my friend Shaun and I resent the fact that I had the chance to live my life and reach my milestones,” he said.
