Omagh Community Youth Choir to mark 25th anniversary with service of thanksgiving

A LOCAL choir that was formed in the aftermath of the 1998 Omagh bomb atrocity will mark its 25th anniversary with a service of thanksgiving this weekend.

Omagh Community Youth Choir was formed in October 1998 in the wake of the Omagh bomb atrocity of August 15, 1998, with the devastating act having left a town of shattered dreams and a community in need of healing and solace.

Local music student, Daryl Simpson, together with other youth leaders set up the choir. His vision was to bring together young people from various backgrounds and traditions, to raise positive awareness of a community working together for peace and reconciliation, to provide comfort in those dark days after the bomb.

And to celebrate 25 years of the choir, this Sunday, September 10, an ecumenical service of thanksgiving will be held in First Omagh Presbyterian Church at 3pm. All former and current members invited along.

Speaking ahead of the service, leader of the choir, Daryl Simpson, said: "We are greatly looking forward to our thanksgiving service for our 25th anniversary at First Omagh Presbyterian Church.

"We have invited back all former members and families, and the general public to attend. We will have different events throughout the year, but we especially wanted to do this church service because we feel that we have an awful lot to be thankful for, and a thanksgiving service was very appropriate considering that we as an organisation have survived through 25 years.

"We have had wonderful opportunities over the years, wonderful memories of travel and tours, many exciting things. However, like other organisations we have had to deal with difficult things too, including the loss of former members and committee members such as Fr Kevin Mullan and the Duchess of Abercorn.

"The loss of former member, Kyra McKinley, was hard to take as she had just performed with us at our 20th anniversary. The choir family has always been a great source of support for us all.

"Our recent performance to mark the 25th anniversary of the Omagh bomb was a very sombre occasion, but it was also nice that our young people, event from 25 years ago, were able to represent the people of Omagh at a very dignified service and it was a great opportunity to perform."