Omagh Bomb Digital Archive - Year One August 1998

Tony Blair Prime Minister Tony Blair visited the town on the 25th August. The premier was visibly moved by the scenes of destruction he observed and said the whole of the world shared the town's grief. He met civic and business leaders, as well as doctors and nurses from the Tyrone County Hospital. Mr Blair shook hands with hundreds of townspeople who had gathered in Market Street, and repeated time after time: "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."		Shops reopen On Tuesday 24th a number of businesses opened their doors for the first time in a collective struggle to regain some measure of normality. One of the businesses hit hardest by the Market Street bomb, Watterson's Drapers, was amongst those that reopened. Three members of staff were killed in the blast and a huge floral tribute remained outside the shop. Omagh Traders Association, along with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had been urging people to reopen their businesses.
	Sacred Heart Church reopens The Bishop of Derry, Dr Seamus Hegarty welcomed a large congregation on Sunday 30th August to the dedication of the new altar in the century-old church. Describing the church as a "microcosm of the entire community of Omagh," Bishop Hegarty said, in recent days, local people had been trying to come to terms with the events of 15th August and its aftermath. Bishop Hegarty added that the reopening of the church coincided with the rebuilding of the local community, as the people moved forward to support one another in their time of distress.