Act of remembrance marks 35th anniversary of Poppy Day bomb in Enniskillen

An act of remembrance has taken place in Co Fermanagh to mark the 35th anniversary of the Poppy Day bomb.

Enniskillen was devastated on November 8 1987 when a Provisional IRA bomb attack turned the annual Remembrance Sunday event into an atrocity.

Eleven people were killed and more than 60 others were injured in the blast.

A 12th victim, Ronnie Hill, died from his injuries after 13 years in a coma.

Relatives of those killed and members of the public gathered at 10.43am, the exact time of the explosion on November 8 1987, to remember their loved ones.

The event took place at a newly installed memorial in the town.

Enniskillen Memorial Remembrance Group chairwoman Stella Robinson, whose parents Wesley and Bertha Armstrong were killed in the bomb blast, said it is very important that what happened is remembered.

“My father loved his church, his church came first. My mother was very family-oriented, she was a great mum, like our best friend. We miss them, we really do,” she said.

“It’s important for future generations that they see what happened, and learn about what happened, that it won’t happen again.

“It’s a pain we carry with us all the time, and it never goes away.”

No-one has ever been convicted over the attack.

Relatives of those killed have made a fresh appeal for anyone with information that could help the police investigation to come forward.

A remembrance service is scheduled to take placeat Enniskillen Presbyterian Church on Tuesday evening.