Politicians from all the North's political parties united yesterday to attend a commemoration in Omagh marking the second anniversary of the "Real IRA" bomb in which 29 people died.
Around 1,000 people took part in the event, including many of those injured and bereaved. They were joined by local councillors from all parties, including Sinn Fein and the DUP.
The area's Ulster Unionist MP, Mr Willie Thompson, and Sinn Fein's West Tyrone representative, Mr Pat Doherty, were present. Omagh came to a standstill for the short, low-key service in the Garden of Remembrance, built to commemorate the explosion.
A minute's silence was observed at 3.10 p.m., the time the bomb exploded in Market Street in 1998. The service was addressed by the chairman of Omagh District Council, Mr Liam McQuaid.
He said great courage would be needed next month when the inquest into the deaths opens. It is likely to last three weeks. "The bereaved and injured have borne their pain, their sorrow and their anger with fortitude and dignity," Mr McQuaid said.
"The resilience which they have shown will be needed to the full in coming weeks when the inquest gets under way on September 6th. We, as a community, must, individually and collectively, offer them all the help and support we can during what undoubtedly will be a particularly painful and difficult few weeks."
Three schoolchildren from Buncrana, Co Donegal, were killed in the bomb. The chairman of Buncrana District Council, Mr Jim Sheridan, attended yesterday's service. He said good had grown out of evil.
"We have come to know people in Omagh over the last two years and together we make our acquaintance once more. The memory of this tragic day two years ago still lives on and I am sure it will live on for years and years to come. But we have to move on. We have to build ourselves, to strengthen ourselves and try to remove the sadness from our hearts."
A Church of Ireland minister, the Rev Robert Clarke, said it would take a long time for those bereaved to come to terms with what had happened. Families were recovering at their own pace, he said.
A local Catholic priest, Father Kevin Mullan, said the bomb had united the people of Omagh. He expressed concern at the recent rise in paramilitary violence in the North.
The service was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony. Flowers were sent from Buncrana and Spain. A Spanish schoolboy and a language teacher were killed in the blast. A representative of the Spanish government attended yesterday's service.
Meanwhile, Mr Victor Barker, whose son James was killed, yesterday said relatives of the dead believed there were people in the republican community who could help convict the bombers.
Despite the biggest ever joint police operation on both sides of the Border, only one man has been charged in connection with the explosion.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and Mr Blair have issued a joint statement appealing for assistance in bringing the bombers before the courts. Mr Barker hoped the appeal would succeed but said he was disappointed with Mr Gerry Adams's refusal to urge republicans to pass on information about the bombers to the security forces.
"It is sad that the reaction of Mr Adams, when asked to make an appeal himself, was that he had no faith in the British system of justice in Northern Ireland and in particular in the RUC.
"I find it very difficult to swallow the pill that somebody who is so keen to ensure that there is justice for his own supporters - and I look at such items as the Bloody Sunday Inquiry - is not prepared to give justice to those who deserve it most, the victims of the Omagh bomb.
"Even if these are dissident groups which Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness have no control over, there are certainly followers of the IRA that could be persuaded to give information about this awful atrocity."
Mr Barker said the bereaved families wished to have some privacy on the anniversary of the bomb. "But I don't think anybody will sleep easily until they know these people responsible have been put behind bars."
The North's Security Minister, Mr Adam Ingram, said it was vital that anyone with information contact the security forces. "I hope anyone who wants to see a different Northern Ireland and a better Northern Ireland should just reflect on the grief of those families and the demands and requests of the families.
"They should reflect on whether they want to see another Omagh. If they want to satisfy the demand that there should not be another Omagh, then they should do what the two prime ministers ask - if they have any information they should bring it forward."