Cat Wilkinson

Omagh Bombing - 15.08.1998

The deadliest single incident of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the car bombing in the town of Omagh claimed the lives of twenty-nine and injured over three hundred. Carried out by the Real IRA, a splinter group opposing the IRA’s ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement, the attack is actually thought to have hastened the Northern Ireland Peace Process in dealing a severe blow to the dissident Irish republican campaign. Aiden Gallagher was 21 Years Old when he lost his life in the bombing.

His family played a leading role in the formation of the Omagh Support & Self-Help Group, a charity seeking to give support and solace to others affected by the bomb. Aiden’s sister, Cat Wilkinson, has been heavily involved in the commemoration and remembrance of acts of terrorism, and in sharing their story in order to prevent and deter further attacks in future. She also served as a working group leader for the EU’s Radicalisation Awareness Network.