Omagh Bombing

One of the deadliest single bombings during the 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland, the 1998 bombing in the village of Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, killed 29 people and seriously threatened the peace process.

Since the late 1960s, Northern Ireland has been involved in a civil conflict between members of its majority—Protestant community, who wish Northern Ireland to remain a part of Great Britain, and its minority—Roman Catholic community, who wish the province to become a part of the Republic of Ireland. Late in 1997, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and various Protestant paramilitary groups declared a cease-fire. On April 10, 1998, delegates representing the major parties to the conflict signed the Good Friday Accords, a document laying out the necessary steps to peace and the order in which they should be taken.

[Page 272]A number of IRA members had disagreed with ...