Omagh

In August 1998, as all of Ireland prepared to vote for peace in the Good Friday referendum, a small group of dissident Provisional IRA members opposed to the peace process were setting out to create a bomb outrage so bloody and calamitous that London and Dublin would be driven apart, unionists would withdraw from the peace process and Northern Ireland would be driven back into violent conflict. They called themselves the Real IRA. Selecting their target carefully, they chose Omagh, a small market town where Catholics and Protestants had co-existed remarkably peacefully throughout the 30 years of the Troubles. The bomb claimed 31 lives, devastating a small town and leaving a lasting legacy. “Omagh” examines the events and aftermath of this tragic day, focusing on the struggle for justice by the Omagh Self Help and Support Group (comprising the families of the victims). Throughout the last five years, they have been pursuing a patient, determined and indomitable campaign to bring those responsible for the bomb to justice and to hold to account politicians and police on both sides of the bord.