Sir, - The Good Friday Agreement gave all of us in the 32 Counties an expectation of peace in our country. This is one of the reasons the Omagh bombing had such a devastating effect on us. We were blasted out of our false security and rendered speechless. What more could be said, anyhow? It has all been said repeatedly for 30 years. This time the people of Ireland looked into their hearts, minds and souls for an answer. The loud clanging of platitudes would not work now and I am glad we did not add salt to the gaping wounds of the people of Omagh by uttering them.
Besides, we were led by the people of Omagh. Never have I seen a community act with such dignity in a time of adversity. Their almost silent flow of love, care, humanity and nobility gathered a momentum far greater than any bomb; so great was its power it washed the entire nation and its people with a strength that fills us with a quiet weeping and an outpouring of love for mankind.
To those who planned, supported, financed and carried out the Omagh bombing I ask you: lay down your arms. Your energies are needed instead to heal and build a better Ireland for its people, not to blow it and its people apart. You can be assured that 99.9 per cent of the people of Ireland (North and South) condemn what you did and do not support your actions.
Look to the people and town of Omagh. There is a place and a people who know more than most the true meaning of life and living. There is where you will find true leadership. - Yours, etc., Pauline Holland,
Willowfield,
Park Avenue,
Sandmount,
Dublin 4.