'Evil was in the air' on day of mother's death

The daughter of a woman who was killed in the Omagh bomb has told a public inquiry that "evil was in the air" on the day of the 1998 attack.

Elizabeth Rush, known as Libbi, died while she was serving customers in the gift shop she owned in the centre of the County Tyrone town.

The 57-year-old mother-of-three was described by her daughter, Siobhan, as the glue that held their family together.

Libbi was among 29 people killed by the Real IRA bomb, including a woman who was pregnant with twins.

Siobhan told the inquiry she had arrived in Omagh on a bus from Belfast just 10 minutes after the bomb exploded and witnessed "a scene of complete carnage".

"The bus turned, taking an alternative route to the bus depot. It was apparent that evil was in the air," she said.

"I ran from the depot, concerned about my mother. A policeman with blood on his shirt recognised me and directed me to the hospital."

Siobhan described the bombing as "a crime against humanity" which had destroyed the "simple, quiet and normal family life of a woman, a mother and her family".

Paying tribute on behalf of herself and her two brothers, Siobhan said their late mother was widely known for "her discretion and gentle nature".

Libbi was said to be a good listener and many people would call into her shop to seek advice.

The Omagh Bombing Inquiry was set up to examine whether the Real IRA attack could have been prevented by the UK authorities.

Libbi's husband Lawrence Rush, who died in 2012, was among the first relatives to raise questions about the police response and the role of the state.

Siobhan said her father tried to seek answers but was met "with a wall of silence".

"He demanded accountability and transparency. His confrontational approach was met with disapproval and ridicule," she said.

Siobhan added that their father was undeterred by the negative responses because of his love for their mother.

Her statement added that her family still believes "there has been a deliberate strategy to evade responsibility by the state".

Earlier, a son of bomb victim Sean McGrath told the inquiry he missed the birth of his first child in London so he could be at his dying father's hospital bedside.

Mr McGrath, a successful Omagh businessman, had been caught up in the blast on the same street that he was born on 61 years earlier.

He died from his wounds three weeks after the explosion.

Mr McGrath's three children submitted personal statements to the inquiry, outlining the devastating impact of his death on their lives.

Gavin McGrath, who lived in England at the time of the bombing, recalled how he had to travel to Belfast his see his "horrifically injured" father in hospital.

"My father was a wonderful man and deserved to live his life to the full, and for it to end naturally," his statement said.

Gavin recalled how his daughter Polly was born in London on 18 August 1998 - three days after the bomb - while he was still in Belfast.

"Polly's first trip, from our home in England, to my hometown in Omagh, was to go to her grandpa's funeral.

"She was 19 days old," he said.

A statement from Sean's other son, Conor McGrath, said his family has still not come to terms with his loss.

"Every anniversary just picks at the scar - maybe not as raw now, but still not healed and I doubt it ever will."

Conor also spoke of the close bond Sean had developed with his own young daughter, Sara, whose birth in 1996 appeared to give his father a "new lease of life".

A home video of Sean playing and laughing with Sara at her second birthday party - just four months before the bomb - was shown to the inquiry.

Sara was the only one of Sean's grandchildren who got to meet him before his death, which Conor described as devastating.

His statement also outlined how there were delays airlifting his seriously injured father to hospital in Belfast.

"Apparently Sean was taken off the helicopter a couple of times because there were others in more need – we will never know if this delay would have made any difference," Conor said.

Sean's daughter Noeleen said he was "the best of men" and would have protected his family from difficult situations.

She said he would have been "horrified to know we spent three weeks in a horrible limbo at the hospital wondering if he would pull through, despite his horrific injuries".

Samantha McFarland was volunteering in the Oxfam shop alongside her best friend when they were both killed in the Omagh bomb.

The inquiry heard how the 17-year-old charity shop worker's life could not have been a greater contrast to the morality of the bombers.

A solicitor said the store was evacuated in response to the "so-called bomb warning". It is believed Samantha did not want to go too far as she had the keys to the shop.

The youngest of three children, she was due to be a bridesmaid at her brother's wedding in September 1998.

Samantha was a former pupil of Omagh High School and was studying for her A-levels at Strabane College.

In a statement read to the inquiry, she was described as having a lovely personality with a "genuine kindness that people were drawn to".

As well as working one day a week at the Oxfam shop, she also volunteered at the Barnardo's shop in the town.

So many people attended her funeral, the inquiry was told, that mourners had to stand outside.

The inquiry chairman Lord Turnbull said: "Amongst the other awful loss we have listened to, we have heard of the senseless killing of children and young people who were about top embark on the adventure of adult life."

Samantha brought joy and kindness into the lives of others through her thoughtfulness and popularity, Lord Turnbull added.

"One really has to wonder whether there could be any greater contrast between the generous and socially-minded attitude of a teenager who chose to spend her precious spare time of her young years trying to help those with less advantages than herself.

"And on the other hand the morality of those who would walk away from a car loaded with explosives in the middle of the main street on a sunny Saturday afternoon, in the sure knowledge that devastation would ensue shortly thereafter," he said.