Omagh Bombing Inquiry Begins Amid Skepticism

The Omagh Bombing Inquiry has commenced at the Strule Arts Centre in County Tyrone to determine if the 1998 Real IRA attack, which killed 29 people, could have been prevented by UK authorities. Despite the Irish government's partial involvement, bereaved families, such as Claire Hayes, express skepticism about the inquiry's transparency and potential outcome due to perceived limitations in cooperation and potential redactions from security agencies like MI5. The inquiry will explore security normalization post-Good Friday Agreement and the impact of the bombing on victims and their families, aiming to assess the attack's preventability. The atrocity, which occurred four months after the peace accord, was intended to disrupt the peace process but instead solidified commitments to peace and exposed the futility of violence. The inquiry seeks to shine a light on the attack's consequences and ensure that the voices of the bereaved and survivors are central to proceedings. Irish officials have pledged cooperation, but doubts remain over the inquiry's ability to deliver a full account of events.