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Sun, 29 Nov 1998 10:15:27 -0700
Mowlam Joins Launch Of Omagh Album
Politics and pop rubbed shoulders as Northern Ireland Secretary
Mo Mowlam jetted in from peace talks to lend her backing to an
album dedicated to rebuilding the community of Omagh.
The town was rocked by an explosion in August which left 29 dead
and became the worst single terrorist tragedy in 30 years of troubles
in the Province.
Ms Mowlam joined Omagh community leaders at the London launch
of the fund-raising album, Across the Bridge of Hope, which features
U2, the Corrs and Boyzone.
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>From The Irish Times:
Release of CD for Omagh victims
Politics and pop rubbed shoulders last night as the
Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, lent her
backing to an album dedicated to rebuilding the
community of Omagh.
Dr Mowlam joined Omagh community leaders at the
London launch of the fund-raising album, Across
the Bridge of Hope, which features U2, the Corrs
and Boyzone.
The town was damaged by an explosion last August
which left 29 dead and became the worst single
terrorist atrocity in 30 years of the Troubles in the
North.
The album is to be released on Monday and
features actor Liam Neeson reading a short poem
by Shaun McLaughlin (12), who was one of the
victims. It is the last line of his poem that has given
the album its name.
The Northern Secretary, who was with the British
Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, at the talks in Belfast
earlier in the day, spoke of her revulsion when she
heard about the bombing.
"I don't think I will ever forget the sickness that
slowly grew in my stomach as that Saturday
afternoon progressed and it becameclear the extent
of the pain, the mayhem, the murder that had taken
place. And I don't think the shock of that will ever
go."
She paid tribute to the spirit of the community in the
aftermath of the tragedy.
"The determination and the guts of the people of
Omagh not to let a few men of violence ruin their
town or their lives were amazing. They showed the
determination to keep going that I will never forget,
and I think that this CD is an important part of that
remembering."
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related articles and putting them up on her site. She's recently
reached 1000 articles.
Congrats Kat -- this is an INCREDIBLE site and a wealth of
information for any U2 Fan.
Check it out, and sign her guestbook at:
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stage/5559
-------------
Condensed from The Irish Times:
(Prarit's note: The article is on the new Beck album)
But it's not just the critics who adore Beck. He's a
musician's musician too - and a fairly diverse bunch
have come out in praise: Bob Dylan said he had a
great future, Johnny Cash that he had "that
mountain music in his blood". Then there are Noel
Gallagher, Bono, Damon Albarn, John Squire,
Cypress Hill and Snoop Dogg. No doubt if Schubert
were still around, he would have been a fan too.
Condensed from The Irish Times:
(Prarit's note: This article is on the SDLP conference
held last week)
One of the advertisements in the conference
programme featured a shot of John Hume and
Bono, arm in arm at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast
during their pro-referendum gig, bearing the legend:
"Maybe we have found what we are looking for!" ein.
Maybe it was party strategy not to rock too many
boats at this sensitive time, he wondered, but he
didn't approve.
-------------
>From The Irish news:
Top artists launch CD for flagging bomb fund
By Seamus McKinney
SINGER Sinead O�Connor will attend the launch today of Across
the Bridge of Hope � a CD aimed at raising money for the Omagh
bomb fund.
Featuring actor Liam Neeson and singers Van Morrison, Sinead
O�Connor, Boyzone, The Corrs and other stars, the launch will take
place at a gala event in London tonight.
Following the Omagh bombing in August in which 29 people were
killed, two music industry professionals, Ross Graham and Tim
Hegarty, invited musicians and singers to raise money for the
victims.
Offers of help flowed in from musicians and artists throughout
the world, to such an extent that many top names had to be
turned down.
The resultant CD will be a timely boost to the Omagh bomb fund
which revealed in the Irish News earlier this week that
contributions were slowing down.
The title for the compilation was taken from a poem written by
12-year-old Sean McLaughlin from Buncrana, Co Donegal, shortly
before he was tragically killed in the atrocity.
While the CD, which goes on sale from Monday next, brings
together some of the top names in show business, there are
also contributions from Omagh.
Singer Juliet Turner performs Broken Things while the Omagh
Community Youth Choir will sing Across the Bridge of Hope,
adapted from young Sean�s poem by singer/songwriter
BA Robertson.
Hollywood actor Liam Neeson will open the album with a
reading of Seamus Heaney�s The Cure at Troy.
The full line-up for the album is: Sinead O�Connor, Chiquitita;
The Devine Comedy, Sunrise; Boyzone, Words; The Corrs,
What Can I Do?; Daniel O�Donnell, Beyond the Great Divide;
Van Morrison, The Healing Game; Ash, I�m Gonna Fall; U2,
Please; Juliet Turner, Broken Things, Paul Brady, The
Island; The Omagh Community Youth Choir, Across the Bridge
of Hope and Enya, Silent Night.
A spokesman for the co-ordinators of the project said all
proceeds from sales would go to the Omagh fund.
We see this release as being both a much-needed fund-raising
opportunity and a chance for the various artists to embody the
current hopes for peace and reconciliation throughout
Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and beyond,� he said.
One of the contributors to the album, Donegal singer Daniel
O�Donnell, will also travel to Omagh tomorrow for what is
expected to be a poignant Christmas lights switching-on
ceremony.
At 6.30pm tomorrow evening, Ireland�s Voice for Peace Choir
will get proceedings under way with the Irish hymn Deus Meus.
They will be later joined by leading artists Sean Keane and
Dolores Keane who are donating the proceeds of their latest
single to the Omagh fund.
Following a pastoral message, the town�s Community Youth
Choir will sing Across the Bridge of Hope while Santa is
expected to arrive shortly after 7pm.
-------------
>From The Belfast Telegraph:
Gala event in London for album launch
By Claire McGahan
THE WORK of many of Ireland's biggest stars will be unveiled in
London tonight at the launch of a unique CD raising funds for the
Omagh bomb fund.
Sinead O'Connor, one of the stars who appears on the album, will
help launch Across The Bridge of Hope at a gala event tonight.
The 12-track CD features Ballymena-born film star Liam Neeson
who opens the album with a reading of Seamus Heaney's The Cure
at Troy U2, Van Morrison, Boyzone, Ash, The Devine Comedy, Daniel
O'Donnell, The Corrs, Paul Brady and Enya.
And there are contributions from Omagh too singer Juliet Turner
performs Broken Things while the Omagh Community Choir sing
the title track, Across the Bridge of Hope, adapted from a poem
written by 12-year-old Sean McLaughlin just weeks before he was
killed in the August 15 bombing.
In the aftermath of the Omagh bomb which killed 29 people, two
music industry professional, Ross Graham and Tim Hegarty invited
musicians and singers to help raise money for the victims.
They were inundated with offers and the resulting CD goes on sale
on Monday.
A spokesman for the co- ordinators of the project said: "We see this
as being both a much-needed fundraising opportunity and a chance
for the various artists to embody the current hopes for peace and
reconciliation throughout Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland
and beyond."
-------------
>From The Belfast Telegraph:
Interest is waning in Omagh Fund claim
THE Omagh Fund is in danger of drying up, its manager warned
today.
Brian Oliphant said money was no longer flooding into the charity,
as media interest in Omagh waned.
Meanwhile, the father of one of the victims lashed out at the
Government for "leaving us to become just another forgotten tragedy".
Mr Oliphant said fundraisers were afraid of hitting a ceiling, as
other tragedies began to overshadow the August 15 bomb.
Already, the horrific floods in Central America had distracted
attention away from the Tyrone town, he said.
And he feared the community would be left to shoulder the burden
alone.
"The money is still coming in, but not nearly as much as it was," he
said.
"Our fear is that it will be quickly and inevitably replaced in people's
minds by other horrors around the
world.
"But we could never have enough. �5m was mentioned as a target
but if we received �20m tomorrow, we would have no problem
spending it."Since the tragedy, the Fund has received around
�800,000 in donations from the public.
Thousands more has been pledged over the coming months.
A host of international stars has rallied to the cause, giving
fundraising projects an extra boost.
A compilation album featuring Sinead O'Connor, U2, Van Morrison,
Ash, Boyzone and The Corrs is already in its final stages.
And international tennis aces Boris Becker and Greg Rusedski
have promised a three-set spectacular in aid of the victims.
Ballymena-born actor Liam Neeson donated the proceeds of a
recent libel action, while French soccer Brandywell.
Brian Kennedy, Mary Black and the Sands family were among
those who headlined a gala fundraiser at the Waterfront Hall.
Roughly �400,000 of the Fund has so far been spread out among
197 individuals.
The size of payments is confidential, but it is understood each
of the bereaved families was given emergency handouts of �4,000.
They were then informed no more money would be distributed until
'home visitors' had assessed each case individually.
The most seriously injured were also compensated between �2,000
and �3,000.
The Fund is still undecided as to whether to compensate those
claiming post-traumatic stress disorder.
The 'gift' payments are generally intended to help with funeral expenses,
travelling expenses and loss of income.
Omagh businessman Michael Gallagher was one of those most directly
affected when his 21-year-old son Aidan was killed in the blast.
"Nothing can make up for the loss of my lad," he said.
"But the money has been a cushion a buffer between us and the
outside world.
"It has taken some of the worry away about bills and things like that.
"To be honest, it has been the difference between us cracking up
and holding on to our sanity just."The 49-year-old car mechanic told
how his family were "humbled" by the generosity of ordinary people.
And the windfall had allowed him, his wife and their two daughters to
"get away from it all" for a few days.
The remainder of the handout had been put aside for a headstone for
Aidan, he added.
But Mr Gallagher hit out at the response from the authorities which
he slammed as "poor".
"It's as if they are leaving us to become just another forgotten tragedy.
"We have not yet got a penny or a helping hand from any of the
statutory agencies.
"And according to lawyers, those who were injured are likely to be
compensated by the state more than those who lost loved ones.
"Many of the bereaved had not been able to return to work and were
surviving on paltry benefits, he said.
"There's one poor man who lost his wife and he's on the sick at �53
a week. He can't go back to work he just doesn't have the heart.
"But he's being treated by the state as just another statistic. For
God's sake it's not his fault he can't go back to work.
"After the bomb, we thought the DHSS would come to us and say,
what can we do for you?"We should not have to go looking for help
it's humiliating and insensitive considering what we've already been
through."Mr Gallagher himself could not summon the will to go back
to work he and Aidan had run their own car mechanic business.
"To be honest, I think I'll have to look for a new career, once things
settle down.
"Myself and the lad worked side by side every day.
"I can't face going back to using the same tools and seeing the
same customers without him.
"It's not a very nice prospect to have to go out job-hunting at my age
but what else can I do?"
-- Prarit....[email protected] U2 news: http://www.members.home.net/u2-news/u2.html
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