This is the harrowing, but uplifting, and true story of the fight for justice from the families of the victims of the Omagh bombing.
On the 15th August 1998 a 500lb bomb placed by the so-called Real IRA ripped through the town of Omagh, killing two unborn babies, seven men, eleven women and eleven children and injuring over two hundred, innocent Saturday shoppers. The lack of evidence prevented anyone being brought to justice for the worst atrocity in Northern Ireland’s modern history. The families of the victims took it upon themselves to pursue the men who the police believed responsible, but couldn’t prove. This book is the story of those simple folk drawn together through the horror of terrorism, and how, with no money and no experience of law, they stood together until justice was delivered. One cannot help but be moved by this story, it could be any one of us, at anytime. The July 7th bombings tore the streets of London apart and touched us all.
The writing of Aftermath is raw, brave, honest, and nothing short of brilliant. Ruth Dudley Edwards is known for her sharp wit and satirical books, and, for her, nothing could be more different. This story is as inspiring as it is gripping. The film Shindler’s List came to mind when I read this book, in as much as it details another horror of history that should never be forgotten. That film touched all who saw it, and this book had the same effect. I hope it will be read in generations to come. To Miss Dudley-Edwards I raise my hat for this honest, heart wrenching and beautifully written account.
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Linda Regan