A “lively, lovely boy” who was murdered in the Omagh bomb was so badly disfigured by the blast that his father had to identify him by his watch, the inquiry into the atrocity has heard.
Shaun McLaughlin (12) had travelled down from Buncrana on the day of the bomb along with the students who were involved in the Spanish exchange programme.
He and the other young people had visited the Ulster American Folk Park before coming into Omagh to shop when the Real IRA detonated the deadly 500lb blast.
On Monday, Shaun’s aunt Marjorie McDaid read out a statement to the Inquiry on behalf of his mother Patricia McLaughlin.
She described a boy who was happiest “doing things that young boys do”.
“Shaun was a lively, lovely boy. He was always happy and content, he always found something to smile about. Then Omagh came,” she said.
“He was so excited to be going to Omagh with his friends and all the Spanish students. He had gone the previous two years; it had become a summer event. It never occurred to me that they were going into Omagh town though.”
Shaun’s mother Patricia recalled how she had been in Buncrana doing the shopping when she first heard news of the bomb. When she arrived home, her neighbours were visibly concerned as the extent of the atrocity became more clear.
“We had waited a while and got news now of the two boys who were with them. Their parents were sent for them because they were very badly injured. The parents had to go straight away and I kept saying we would be sent for next,” she said.
“We were told the bus would be coming back that night with the rest of the children. We still thought there was a chance the boys (Shaun and Oran Doherty) would be on it.
“The bus and the parish priest was standing at the top of the steps along with the sergeant and the driver. I asked if anybody had seen Shaun and Oran, and nobody had. I knew then that was it, that was the end.”
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Shaun’s father then decided to travel to Omagh, desperately searching hospitals along the way for his son.
“John started with the closest one and carried on down towards Omagh,” she said.
“The later it went on, the worse it got. At about 7.40am, John rang me to say he had found Shaun, and that he was dead.
“Shaun was very badly disfigured and so he could not be easily identified; John was only able to identify him by his watch.”
The aftermath of the Omagh bomb on Market Street. Bereaved families are commemorating the victims at the ongoing inquiry into the atrocity
When the 12-year-old was brought back to Buncrana for his funeral, Patricia told the inquiry that despite his injuries, she had insisted on an open casket.
“We got permission then on Sunday night to go up and view him at the mortuary,” she said.
“We had to go, because until I saw Shaun, I still thought he was going to come home. He was released on the Monday.
“I insisted on Shaun’s coffin being open. I was told it couldn’t, but I insisted. They had to do a lot of work to cover up the injuries.
“The crowds of people on that route were unbelievable. When we got to the bottom of the town of Buncrana, there were thousands stood at the side of the road.”
Patricia said the media attention and attendance of political figures had turned Shaun’s funeral into a “total farce”.
“There were too many important people there from political parties,” she said.
“They all even had reserved seats; but there was no reserved seats for the three families that were burying their children.
“Two of my brothers even had to ask people to move out of a seat so they could sit down. My son was buried before I could even get near his grave.”
Shaun’s mother also described the effect his death had on his siblings, Christopher and Elaine. The former had shared a room with Shaun.
“Christopher wasn’t able to cope at all. He had nightmares and wouldn’t go into Shaun’s room,” she said.
“He eventually settled down, but it was a long time before his nightmares stopped.”
Patricia said she hoped the inquiry would get the families the answers they have been searching for since the bomb.
“None of the families deserved what happened that day, but how each of us in our own way has had to fight for answers is just awful. It makes me angry at times,” she said.
“I hope this inquiry will provide the answers as to what happened that day and that the cost of Shaun’s life and all the others so tragically lost can provide some hope for us all.
“My first-born baby will always be in our minds and in our hearts. Shaun personified the hope in this island following the Good Friday Agreement, the hope of peace.”
Just month beforehand, Shaun had written a poem about peace which was presented to then-President of Ireland, Mary McAleese.
The words written by Shaun, and other families who lost loved ones in the bomb, were written into a song to be performed by Omagh Community Choir.
His pen portrait concluded with that song playing as a montage of photographs of Shaun were shown to the inquiry.