THE Omagh Bombing Inquiry which began on January 28, 2025 has now completed its first series of hearings. Chairman of the independent statutory public inquiry the Rt Hon Lord Turnbull confirmed that the next hearings will take place in Omagh on the week commencing June 23, 2025.
The remit of that segment will be to enable core participants to make their opening statements. Core participants include the UK government, police, security services, and bereaved family members
The Inquiry has confirmed that the next evidential hearings will focus on events of the day on 15 August 1998 and other relevant information that will enable the Inquiry to begin to answer the question of whether the Omagh Bombing could reasonably have been prevented by UK state authorities.
The Omagh Bombing Inquiry, initiated in January 2025, represents a significant effort to address these lingering questions surrounding the tragic event. The devastating attack, the single worst incdent in the Troubles, claimed the lives of 29 people and two unborn children.
The inquiry’s remit encompasses a thorough examination of intelligence handling, inter-agency communication, and the actions of security forces leading up to the bombing.
In his opening statement Lord Turnbull explained that he was Chair of the Independent Public Inquiry into the Omagh Bombing, which took place on 15 August 1998. He said: “That atrocity caused the loss of 31 lives and injury to hundreds more. The grief and devastation caused was inflicted on families from Omagh, across County Tyrone and the rest of Northern Ireland, elsewhere in the United Kingdom, as well as in The Republic of Ireland and as far away as Spain.
“The purpose of my Inquiry is to determine whether there were steps which could reasonably have been taken by the United Kingdom state authorities to prevent the bombing. The responsibility for all that occurred on the day lies squarely with those terrorists who made, transported and planted the bomb. It is not my role to determine who those individuals were, and a Statutory Inquiry does not have the power to determine any individual person’s criminal liability. It is, however, my role to establish the truth of whether the terrible events of 15 August 1998 could have been prevented.”
The first part of the Inquiry which began last month heard testament and tribute of those who lost their lives on the day. Commemoration hearings began with tributes to the two Spanish victims of the bomb, part of an exchange group staying in Co. Donegal. Testimony was then heard from the rest of the bereaved in heart-wrenching evidence across the first two weeks.
These spoken portraits commemorated the individuals who were caught up in the horror and carnage, and recognised the impact that this has had on their loved ones.
In week three, as well as continuing to hear commemorations of the deceased, the Inquiry heard further personal statements from those who were affected by the events of that day. This included survivors and first responders from statutory organisations, and the members of the public who went to the aid of injured and the dying.
This part of the inquiry recognised the wider impact of the atrocity on the Omagh community and beyond and gave voice to the bereaved and those who were in Omagh on that summer’s day, whose lives were changed forever.
The bombing came less than three months after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement
No one has ever served jail time for the atrocity, and the Inquiry, as pointed out by Lord Turnbull, will not name any suspects.
Full transcripts of the hearings can be accessed here