It may only have been a preliminary stage, a few hours together in Omagh’s Strule Arts Centre, a stone’s throw away from the scene of the explosion, but it was time enough for a warning to be issued to the government of the Republic of Ireland.
If the inquiry into the Omagh bombing, which killed 29 people, including a woman expecting twins, is to give the injured and the families of the bereaved the answers they have sought for 26 years, no stone must be left unturned.
That means the Irish government will have to play ball and provide the necessary details.
The Omagh Bombing Inquiry’s main objective is to determine if the authorities, north and south of the border, could have prevented the atrocity on August 15, 1998.
Families want to know what government ministers, police forces and the intelligence services knew and how it affected their actions.
They want to know how all the factors played out to rob them of their loved ones just a few months after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April that year, when a new future seemed to have dawned.
Lawyers for the families have made no secret of who they blame: the Real IRA.
They have made a point of stressing that the PSNI officers who were in the town on the day and who helped the injured are blameless.
Inquiry chair Lord Turnbull made it clear the families would be placed front and centre of the inquiry process, and that is how it should be.
They have questions which have gone unanswered for more than 25 years.
It will still be a long and difficult process, and the hearings will continue until the end of next year at least.
The complexities of gathering evidence have already been touched upon by the people involved.
There is still plenty of work to be done to ensure all relevant questions are asked and the families get the answers they deserve.
But the inquiry will only be useful if the key players provide the clarity required.
They have delivered their opening statements, each saying the words the families want to hear.
They appear willing to explain the circumstances that led to the single worst atrocity of the Troubles in terms of the number of people killed.
Now, the British and Irish governments, and the police forces on both sides of the border, have to deliver on their promises and do everything they can to give the victims and their families the answers they deserve.