I watched probably one of the saddest things I’ve seen on our local UTV news reports yesterday. The funeral of a family of seven tragically killed in a house fire in Omagh Co Tyrone. The sight of five little white coffins followed by the mother and father. The mother was Lorraine McGovern, 30 and children, Caroline, 13, Sean, 7, Bellina, 4, Clodagh, 19 months and 9 month-old baby James
I can’t start to imagine how the family members must have felt. I’s bad enough attending a funeral of a loved one. Even worse a funeral of a baby. But to have to bury so many!.. It does’nt bear thinking about.
I’m sure the outpouring of emotions must have been just awful. I clearly remember attending the funeral of my cousins tiny little baby. I’ve never seen or felt the like of that. Even now just thinking about it brings a tear to my eyes and very strong sadness to my heart.
This tragic case in Omagh has still not been solved but police are treating it as murder. I’ve not seen it reported in the press here and certainly don’t want to rumour monger but various people here are saying that the father, Arthur McElhill, who is the main suspect for the arson, was seen through the window, standing with his arms folded like Mrs Danvers in the film Rebecca as the place went up in flames around him. A neighbour climbed up a ladder to try and help, looked through the window and this is what he saw. So if this is true, it’s not really been reported in the press. So again I am not saying it is true but it’s what is being said locally.
How can something like this happen?.. We know that there were big problems with this family. None moreso than the fact that Mr McElhill had convictions for sex offences against young women and once served 18 months in prison before moving to live in Omagh. Neighbours claimed he had been suffering from depression and had been under medication at the time of the fire.
Surely the social services have been slacking here? I dunno but this should never have been allowed to snowball. Then again, how could anyone have forseen something so tragic….All those innocent lives!
It will be interesting to hear the outcome of the inquests.
