Second youngest victim of Omagh bombing ‘was due to be flower girl’

By Rebecca Black, PA

The second youngest victim of the Omagh bombing had been due to be a flower girl at her uncle’s wedding when she was killed in the blast.

Breda Devine, who was 20 months old, had been with her mother on a shopping trip to the centre of the Co Tyrone town on the afternoon of August 15th, 1998 when the Real IRA bomb exploded killing 29 people.

She was remembered during the second day of commemorative hearings at the Omagh Bombing Inquiry at the Strule Arts Centre in the town.

In a statement from her family read to the inquiry, it was recalled that the toddler from Donemana had been born three months prematurely, had “clung to life in hospital, and had grown to be a healthy little girl”.

She had been due to be the flower girl at the wedding of her uncle and his fiancee the following weekend.

“The reason the family were in Omagh town centre was for Breda’s mother to buy a wedding present for Breda’s uncle and some shoes for Breda to wear at the wedding,” the statement read.

“Breda was the second youngest victim of the bomb and her funeral took place at St Mary’s Church, Aughnabrack. She was given a guard of honour by the GAA team her family were a part of.”

Inquiry chair Lord Turnbull said the inquiry will hear more about Breda in due course.