The death of a talented teenage GAA player in the Omagh bombing caused “irreversible” damage to her family, the inquiry into the blast has been told.
Brenda Logue (17) was among the 29 people, including a mother carrying unborn twins, who were murdered in the Real IRA atrocity on August 15, 1998.
Her former school, her old club Loughmacrory GAC, and her county all have tournaments named in her honour.
As the inquiry continued on Wednesday, Brenda’s brothers gave evidence at the Strule Arts Centre.
Cathal read an emotional statement compiled by his mother Mary shortly before she passed away last November following a cancer diagnosis.
It described the final memory she had of her daughter leaving shop when the 500lb bomb exploded on a busy Saturday afternoon.
“The last thing I remember of Brenda was her ponytail swishing as she walked out the door,” Mary recalled in the statement.
“The blast would throw me back into a wall and I would be knocked unconscious. When I came round, I knew in my heart she was gone, but I got up and went to look for her.
“It was like a scene from a disaster movie. The things I saw that day are the things that haunt my dreams – the sounds, the screams. It would be five days before her body was brought home and she was buried on the Friday.”
Mary’s statement described how she had found it hard to relive the grief over and over again and how her daughter’s death took a toll on the family.
“I bagged and put away everything, even the rubbish on the floor. Everything she had ever owned or touched is still in the attic,” she said.
“Karl [her brother] would take to sleeping in her bed because it smelled of her. He wouldn’t let me change the sheets and I didn’t want to either.
“My first grandchild was born less than a month after the bomb. Her arrival should have been one of the happiest times, but was tainted by the loss of her aunt.
The devastation after the bomb blast in Omagh. Photo: PA/Getty
“August 15 has defined my family’s existence – we are, and will forever be, known as that family. The shockwaves ripped through my family and friends. Those around me who had to watch from the outside as our world fell apart.”
Mary recalled how medical consultants were “baffled” at her response to being told she had cancer at the beginning of last year.
“I said it wasn’t the worst news I have ever received,” the statement read.
“Losing a child is every parent’s worst nightmare and I have lived that nightmare every day for the last 26 years.”
Mary also paid tribute to her strong-minded and talented daughter who represented her local GAA club, school and county.
“She loved the craic, being surrounded by people. She was a leader in the local youth club, leaving a lasting impression,” her mum said.
“She would later fight and win the right for girls to wear trousers to her school. Her argument was that it was unfair for them to be cold in a skirt.
“Brenda’s love for football stemmed from her older brothers. This would lead her down the path to start her short but very talented Gaelic football career.
“She was a natural goalkeeper who was tall, strong and most importantly, had no fear. She would go on to be selected for the Tyrone minor panel and eventually the senior panel.
“Tyrone ladies went on to win the All-Ireland in 2018. Would she have been part of that setup? Would she have walked the Hogan Stand steps to lift the trophy?
The Tyrone county board named the junior championship cup after Brenda and Mary proudly presented the trophy to one of her daughter’s former teammates when Loughmacrory ladies went on to win it.
“Loughmacrory GAA also runs an annual tournament in her memory,” she said.
“This year, we had the honour of my granddaughter, and her namesake, Brenda Marie Logue, lifting that cup as captain.
“Her father got to present her with the trophy. The team then took the cup to her graveside. I wasn’t able to attend due to chemotherapy.”
Mary’s testimony, read out by Brenda’s oldest brother Cathal, outlined the devastating consequences of the bomb.
“I have been robbed of so many things; seeing her grow up and become a woman,” she said.
“I have missed the chance to see her meet that special someone, fall in love, see her walk down the aisle, go wedding dress shopping with my only daughter.
“My sons have lived their lives trying to cope with the murder of their sister. It caused irreversible emotional damage to each of them and to me.”