Omagh Bomb Film Screened

The single worst atrocity of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Omagh bombing by the Real IRA in which 31 people died, is the subject of a new film from the makers of Bloody Sunday. Due to be shown on Channel 4 and Irish network RTE next month, Omagh was screened recently for the families of the victims of the tragedy. Described by the makers as "almost unbearably graphic", the film has not shied away from the extent of the devastation that resulted from the blast. On a busy Saturday in August 1998, police received a confusing bomb warning for Omagh town centre that caused them to evacuate the wrong end of the town and unwittingly concentrate people around the area of the bomb. Only one person has ever been jailed for the bombing, although victim's families have launched a civil action against the 18 people they say are responsible. The film's early scenes of a peaceful and sunny morning were met with tense silence from the audience at the special screening. The scenes of the bombing itself were followed by the story of the families' search for justice, with some prominent figures in Northern Ireland portrayed in a less than flattering light. While the head of the victim's association, Michael Gallagher, who is played in the film by Gerard McSorley, said that he was happy with the results, others expressed concern that the film could reawaken the trauma experienced by the town in the aftermath of the bombing. Omagh will be shown on Channel 4 on 27 May and will then be given a cinema release.