0:00:03 > 0:00:06Ordinary people... 35 years, I drove a DeLorean again.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08..with extraordinary stories.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11And she just takes off her wig and throws it into the punch bowl.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12Everybody was sort of...
0:00:12 > 0:00:16One voice said, "Welcome to the belly of the Pope."
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Bonds forged amid triumphs...
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Tears, laughter, everything. The whole lot.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25..and tragedies.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28I had just walked into hell.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32They shared a past, then faced a future apart.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34God bless you for what you done.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Brought together by fate,
0:00:36 > 0:00:38separated by time.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Long time!
0:00:40 > 0:00:45# Sleep in heavenly... #
0:00:51 > 0:00:53In today's programme...
0:00:53 > 0:00:55carnage at the cenotaph.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57SHOUTING
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I just remember those that pulled me from the rubble, and their voices
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and saying, "Don't worry, we'll get you to hospital soon."
0:01:03 > 0:01:06A boy whose face was shattered meets the man
0:01:06 > 0:01:09who rescued him from the rubble.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12For a young lad of 15, that was a mess.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15And for me to see you today - you're smiling.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17You're still the same person.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Plus, seconds out...
0:01:19 > 0:01:23The prettiest fighter in the world is in your country
0:01:23 > 0:01:25live in living colour.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29The week Ali flew in for one of his most unlikely bouts.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31To watch him train...
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Ah, don't mind me. I get sentimental now and again.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39The men in his corner reunite to tell their tales.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I don't think... Will we ever see the same again? I don't think so.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15Remembrance Sunday - an important day in the calendar for many.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Every year, all across the United Kingdom, people come together
0:02:19 > 0:02:23to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27For the people of Enniskillen,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Remembrance Sunday 1987
0:02:29 > 0:02:32was following the traditional pattern.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35By mid-morning on November the 8th,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38they gathered in the town centre as they always did.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42People were dressed in their good suits, the best,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44ladies all done up,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48and it was just a normal morning in November,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51waiting for the parade to come.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Stephen Ross was 15.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56He and a group of friends met at a nearby church.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02We were just standing round, sheltering near this building,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04waiting for the service to start.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07I still remember feeling cold, even with a jumper,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11with the westerly wind coming in off the Atlantic.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13We were used to gathering there every year,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15so this year was no different.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18But this day would be different.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19Very different.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Looked at my watch, and literally, no sooner had I looked at my watch,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28that moment, within a couple of seconds,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32the most...most horrendous bang.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35EXPLOSION
0:03:40 > 0:03:42The complete silence...
0:03:45 > 0:03:48..and then all hell broke loose.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51SHOUTING AND CRYING
0:03:58 > 0:04:01The IRA bomb had destroyed a wall next to where many of the locals
0:04:01 > 0:04:06were standing and sent masonry flying around the town square.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Tommy joined the desperate effort to help rescue
0:04:09 > 0:04:11the victims beneath the rubble.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14At this stage we didn't know
0:04:14 > 0:04:17if there was anybody in the vicinity.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20We're throwing this away, just clearing, making a path.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22As the rescue effort went on,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25he found himself standing on top of a large piece of concrete.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29We physically lifted the slab.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35There's this young boy lying underneath it,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38curled up in a ball.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40That boy was Stephen.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Despite being knocked unconscious by the blast,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45he can recall the exact moment he was freed.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49I just remember those that pulled me from the rubble and their voices
0:04:49 > 0:04:52and saying, you know, "Don't worry, we'll get you to hospital soon."
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Stephen's injuries were life-threatening.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58He was airlifted to Altnagelvin Hospital, where he underwent
0:04:58 > 0:05:03a 5?-hour operation on his shattered legs and face.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06The surgeon drilled holes to put a wire cage
0:05:06 > 0:05:10to hold everything in place, and people will remember that of me,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13being in hospital with my teeth wired so I couldn't eat or drink.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34Unbelievable, the images that were portrayed of Stephen,
0:05:34 > 0:05:55and showed what a bomb can actually do to a human being.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Amid the gloom, one boy's story offered some hope
0:05:59 > 0:06:06and the public's support helped speed his recovery.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11from around the world, and you know, the friends and relatives of those
0:06:11 > 0:06:14that had been killed and injured coming to see me in hospital
0:06:14 > 0:06:16made a big difference.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21After five weeks of intensive treatment, Stephen was discharged.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Really makes you reflect on what you should be thankful for.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Seven years after the attack,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Stephen left for a new life in England.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32He's now married with children of his own -
0:06:32 > 0:06:34three daughters and a son.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38My turn! My turn! My turn!
0:06:38 > 0:06:41But this happy family life wouldn't have been possible
0:06:41 > 0:06:44had fellow survivor Tommy Hallawell not pulled him from the rubble
0:06:44 > 0:06:47on that dreadful November day.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49I've never met Tommy.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51I've never spoken to him about the events that day.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54It would be nice to talk to him about that
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and understand his memories of the day, and to say thank you to him
0:06:57 > 0:07:00from the bottom of my heart, really.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Today, Stephen's travelling back to Northern Ireland
0:07:05 > 0:07:07to meet the man who helped saved his life.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09When Tommy last saw him,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13he was being taken away from the bomb scene in an ambulance.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16As soon as I see him, I'll know him.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17I'll know him.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23How are you doing, sir? It's been a long time.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Long time, boy.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Lovely to see you. Good to see you too.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Brilliant. I'm in better shape than last time you saw me.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32HE LAUGHS
0:07:32 > 0:07:36It is unbelievable it's taken this length of time to put this together.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39I always said there's a guardian angel
0:07:39 > 0:07:41and he looks after each individual.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Definitely somebody was looking after me.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46You had two guardian angels that day.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Although Stephen sustained the most serious injuries to his leg,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53it was the fractures to his jaw, nose and cheekbones
0:07:53 > 0:07:56that became a symbol of the bombing.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59The images still have the power to shock.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01For a young lad of 15,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05that was a mess. And for me to see you today -
0:08:05 > 0:08:06you're smiling.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10You're still the same person.
0:08:10 > 0:08:16It is amazing how close I was to being crushed to death.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18It was complete chaos that day.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Stephen relied on medical staff to help him
0:08:21 > 0:08:23recover from his physical injuries.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25But it was another local man who would help him
0:08:25 > 0:08:28emotionally and spiritually.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32As Enniskillen grappled with the shock, anger and grief
0:08:32 > 0:08:36of the bombing, the community turned to a young church minister for help.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38I think anybody going into the ministry
0:08:38 > 0:08:41expected that somewhere along the line,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43they might have to be involved in ministering to people
0:08:43 > 0:08:46affected by a terrorist incident.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49But nobody ever expects anything on this scale.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Back then, the Reverend David Cupples was 30 years old.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57He'd only been a minister in the town for two months.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Yet that evening, it was he who had to announce the names of the dead.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05We've lost Billy and Nessie Mullan.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13And Kit and Jessie Johnston.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18It was an extremely tense and emotional occasion.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23We're thankful for those who have been spared.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24HE SOBS
0:09:28 > 0:09:31We're thankful for Stephen and Katie Ross.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37In the months after the bomb, the minister played a crucial role
0:09:37 > 0:09:41in helping Stephen come to terms with what happened.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Today, he and Tommy are returning to Enniskillen to meet the Reverend.
0:09:52 > 0:09:53Any memories?
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Yeah, the memories are important,
0:09:57 > 0:09:59but I'm able to overcome what happened,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03and it doesn't haunt me to go past that site at all.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05I feel the exact same way.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07We in Enniskillen have nothing to be ashamed of.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15It'll be wonderful to meet him today,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18and I'm really looking forward to chatting with him,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21just to hear a little bit more about the journey that he's been on,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24because he's been gone for so many years now.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Stephen. David, lovely to see you. It's great to see you. Tommy.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33And to you, too. Lovely to meet you again.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37I've often wondered how you managed to reflect on what happened.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40I too had to deal with anger.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43I too had to deal with the tendency for bitterness.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48I think there was such an abhorrence of what happened on all sides,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51it motivated people to come together
0:10:51 > 0:10:56and to say, "This is not the kind of society in which we want to live."
0:10:56 > 0:10:59The minister's life has remained in Enniskillen,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01but Stephen has now moved on.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Today, he's had the chance to thank Reverend Cupples
0:11:05 > 0:11:07and the man who helped save him.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Tommy, thanks very much for today. Really appreciate everything
0:11:10 > 0:11:13that you've done, and I think just as a matter of appreciation,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15I've just got a picture here of my four kids.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18And they would not have been here except for you and the reaction
0:11:18 > 0:11:20of some of the people that helped you that day.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23So I just hope that's an encouragement that, you know,
0:11:23 > 0:11:27some positive things came out of what happened. Stephen, thank you.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30The wife and I will cherish that.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Can I give you a hug? You certainly can. Take care.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36See you again soon.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44I have been waiting 26 years to meet Stephen.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47It was really important for me to thank Tommy for what he did,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49even years after the event,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51for everything he did for me on that day.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53He was an inspiration,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56and I mean that from the heart.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57It was great to see him.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09# School's out for summer
0:12:11 > 0:12:16# School's out forever
0:12:18 > 0:12:23# School's been blown to pieces. #
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Muhammad Ali - brilliant, charismatic,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32ranked by many as the world's best-ever boxer.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I'm so fast, last night I cut the light out in my bedroom,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40hit the switch, was in bed before the room was dark.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43But he was also divisive and controversial.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48In 1964, the man christened Cassius Clay converted to Islam,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51changed his name, and embarked on a collision course
0:12:51 > 0:12:53with the US government and military.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57He maintains that his religion won't allow him
0:12:57 > 0:13:00to kill people of his own colour in Vietnam.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05His refusal to join the army cost him his world heavyweight title
0:13:05 > 0:13:07and his boxing licence.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12But by 1972, he was on the comeback trail.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Strapped for cash, he announced a world tour.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19And to the delight of the Irish,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21he accepted an invitation to fight in Dublin.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26In July that year, he touched down in Ireland -
0:13:26 > 0:13:29much to the amazement of those waiting.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33I honestly didn't think at the time that it would happen,
0:13:33 > 0:13:35but when it did happen,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38the place was abuzz, because the airport was just full
0:13:38 > 0:13:41of people coming in. They were coming from everywhere to see him.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Ali's magnetism was evident.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46Wherever he went, so did the cameras.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52They even gave me the Irish shillelagh to help me win my fight.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56Never a man to turn down the opportunity of publicity,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00he agreed to a series of television appearances.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03People said you hadn't trained right for the last Frazier fight.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Do you think you can take Frazier the next time you meet him?
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Yeah, I'll whoop Frazier easy now.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10LAUGHTER
0:14:13 > 0:14:17TV sports director Michael O'Carroll was hired
0:14:17 > 0:14:20to produce a live interview soon after Ali landed.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24It was banter all the way,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27and Muhammad Ali threw out a couple of poems as well.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Joe Frazier's still rising
0:14:29 > 0:14:31but the referee wears a frown,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34for he can't start counting till Frazier comes down.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37It was quite good. And then, of course, he said,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40"You mark my words, it's going to be a big fight."
0:14:40 > 0:14:44Please get to the arena, because the greatest, the most scientific,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48the most artistic, the prettiest fighter in the world
0:14:48 > 0:14:53is in your country, live in living colour.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56And you know, he had his publicity and everything else,
0:14:56 > 0:14:57and that's what it was about.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Ali needed the publicity.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08His bumper ?300,000 fee meant high ticket prices
0:15:08 > 0:15:10and a shortage of takers.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16So in a bid to pull in the punters
0:15:16 > 0:15:18he agreed to some elaborate stunts -
0:15:18 > 0:15:20like trying his hand at hurling
0:15:20 > 0:15:23with one of the game's all-time greats.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26I couldn't believe what I was hearing,
0:15:26 > 0:15:31that I was actually going to have a chance of meeting this great man.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35But he tried hard and eventually got some of the very basic skills.
0:15:35 > 0:15:42People say you should never meet your sporting hero,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45An honour, and an opportunity.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Eddie seized the moment and made a bold request.
0:15:48 > 0:15:56He was just about to be whisked away by his minders.
0:15:56 > 0:16:03And it is the only hurl in the world signed by Muhammad Ali.
0:16:08 > 0:16:15Publicity aside, Ali still had a fight to prepare for.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18at the time ranked as one of the top ten heavyweights.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24He's tall, he's big, he's strong,
0:16:24 > 0:16:32that I've fought during my whole life.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35His teenage son was a promising fighter himself,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37and Ali was his idol.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41I'm a young 16-year-old at the time,
0:16:41 > 0:16:43and you know, boxing was my life.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47So we got the ring up and Ali was arriving that evening.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51I remember the hair just standing
0:16:51 > 0:16:54on the back of my head, down my neck.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56This was the legend Ali, he was in Ireland,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58and you know, he was going to fight.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Ah, don't mind me. I get sentimental now and again.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Nah, just thinking of the fun we had,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10the amazing fun we had.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13It was a fun week. It was, as a young lad,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16probably the best summer I ever had, you know?
0:17:16 > 0:17:20On the 19th of July, 25,000 fans
0:17:20 > 0:17:23gathered at Croke Park for the big fight.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27John McCormack was in Ali's dressing room before the bout began.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30When he put his hand out, he gave me his hand and I said to him,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33"I don't know whether to shake hands with you or kiss you.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35"You're absolutely bloody gorgeous
0:17:35 > 0:17:37"for a heavyweight champion of the world."
0:17:37 > 0:17:39I was paying him a compliment.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42And he said, "That's quite all right, everyone says that."
0:17:46 > 0:17:50At that time, like, not everyone had a ticket to see him fight
0:17:50 > 0:17:52but people just came from everywhere to see him
0:17:52 > 0:17:56and they were climbing over fences, over walls, over wire.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59They were just getting in any way they could
0:17:59 > 0:18:01to see Muhammad Ali.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05The crowd took their positions. The ring was set.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08All that was left to do was fight.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09BELL
0:18:09 > 0:18:11# Highway to hell... #
0:18:11 > 0:18:14The atmosphere was terrific.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Ali found it difficult in the early rounds,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20because Al "Blue" Lewis attacked him immediately.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Lewis held his own against Ali,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25but in the fifth round was knocked to the canvas.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Ali took a couple of good punches from Al "Blue" Lewis,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32and Muhammad Ali dished out a couple of good punches.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35From then on, then, Ali stepped up a gear,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39and in the last few rounds, you know, I think Ali did take control.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42We knew in our heart and souls
0:18:42 > 0:18:46there was no way Al "Blue" Lewis was going to win this fight
0:18:46 > 0:18:51Six rounds later, Ali was declared the winner by technical knockout.
0:18:54 > 0:18:5840 years on, four of those who shared special moments
0:18:58 > 0:19:01with boxing's greatest have met again.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04And straight away, Eddie shows off his prized possession -
0:19:04 > 0:19:07the hurley stick signed by Ali.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10That is absolutely brilliant, Eddie.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13It's also a chance for TV producer Michael to show
0:19:13 > 0:19:17some of the footage he captured during Ali's visit.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19That's him arriving at Dublin Airport.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23'You come out to that arena, and you will see how serious I am.'
0:19:23 > 0:19:26That's my father there, look, see him? Standing beside Ali, yeah.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31He spent every day with him.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34It was packed every day, as you can see. People came to see him train.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37He made a few bob out of it. Yeah.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40This is serious. If you don't believe it, come out to this arena.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43I don't think... Will we ever see the same again?
0:19:43 > 0:19:46I don't think so, Michael. He was a one-off.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50To finish their reunion,
0:19:50 > 0:19:55the men return to where Ali's fight took place - Croke Park.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59For all, the day has been a total knockout.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Looking at that footage and seeing my dad there,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04it brought me back, right there, that I was back then,
0:20:04 > 0:20:0642 years ago, you know?
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Obviously 42 years pass quickly, but the memories linger on.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13An absolutely amazing experience
0:20:13 > 0:20:17which I will treasure for the rest of my life.
0:20:35 > 0:20:3911 people were killed and 63 injured
0:20:39 > 0:20:43in what's become known as the Poppy Day Massacre in Enniskillen.
0:20:43 > 0:20:4815-year-old Stephen Ross was lucky to have survived.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52He's managed to move on from the tragedy and rebuild his life.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56But he knows that others have found it difficult.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Today, back in Enniskillen, he'll meet some of his fellow survivors.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04I just hope that in getting together with the folks,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07it will be a good opportunity to share that experience
0:21:07 > 0:21:07and see where they're at now.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09and see where they're at now.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11So yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13On Remembrance Sunday 1987,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Serena Doherty was head girl of the local school.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21She'd been given the task of laying the wreath at the town cenotaph
0:21:21 > 0:21:23as her proud family looked on.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26It all happened so quickly. It's split seconds.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31SHOUTING
0:21:32 > 0:21:3618-year-old Stephen Gault was with his father Samuel.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41They were standing just ten feet away from the bomb when it exploded.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43All I remember then was going forwards.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47And I remember being knocked unconscious
0:21:47 > 0:21:51and coming round, but the noise - I'd never witnessed noise like it.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55SHOUTING AND CRYING
0:21:55 > 0:21:57People screaming, children crying,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00women crying, soldiers shouting orders.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Amid the chaos, Stephen witnessed a sight
0:22:07 > 0:22:09that would stay with him for ever.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11I looked down and I was buried to the knees,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14and then I see my dad lying beside me.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17But I knew that my dad was dead.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Samuel had only recently retired
0:22:19 > 0:22:21after a long, distinguished career
0:22:21 > 0:22:23in the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33He had served in the RUC through the worst days of the Troubles,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36and we thought as a family that when Dad hung up his coat
0:22:36 > 0:22:39that he was safe to go on with his life.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Our family just was devastated after it.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Serena's father Jim was also caught up in the blast.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Hey! Get a load over here and carry them...
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Pass them over. All the rubble into the building!
0:22:56 > 0:22:58After being struck by falling masonry,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01he was airlifted to hospital,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04where doctors battled for hours to save his life.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06You wouldn't have recognised him.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09His head was swollen to about three times the size,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12there was tubes and wires coming out of him.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15It was just not him, it was just unbelievable.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17But we were just so thankful that he was alive.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Although Serena's father survived the blast,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25she's continued to blame herself for his presence at the parade that day.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30He was there to see... Probably to see me laying the wreath,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34because it was such a proud moment. I sort of carry a bit of guilt.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Because it was my fault he was there.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44The IRA admitted responsibility for the bombing,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46which they described as "a mistake".
0:23:53 > 0:23:56It's been not just the scale of the killing but the day and the hour
0:23:56 > 0:23:59the bombers chose that has caused such outrage here.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03The IRA now faces the irony of a community of Protestants
0:24:03 > 0:24:07and Catholics determined to show their unity.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Two weeks later, the town re-staged its Remembrance Day parade.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16In a moving show of solidarity, thousands of people,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19from all sides of the community, took part.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Nearly 27 years after being caught up in the tragedy,
0:24:27 > 0:24:29a group of survivors are reuniting.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Survivors with different perspectives
0:24:31 > 0:24:35and with their own reasons for wanting to talk about what happened.
0:24:35 > 0:24:3926 years I've never spoken to anybody about it.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42So I just thought, maybe I should share.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Share my experience, and maybe it'll be good for me,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47and maybe it can help somebody else.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52I think the nerves coming from the whole thing of the reunion -
0:24:52 > 0:24:56people that were affected by the Enniskillen bomb in 1987,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59having not seen them for years,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01it's going to bring back a lot of memories.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04A little bit apprehensive.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09People have different viewpoints and different experiences.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13How are you? Hello.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Good to see you. And you too.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Good to see you.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22Serena. Stephen.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26who, along with her husband,
0:25:35 > 0:25:43Four survivors, still trying to deal with one horrific day.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46I feel like I have guilt. I have survivor's guilt.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48You know, I was there,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50I wasn't injured, you know,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54and it really... I think only for me laying the wreath
0:25:54 > 0:25:56my dad wouldn't... Mightn't have even been there.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00It's only natural, probably, to feel like that, the way you feel.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03But I wouldn't say it was your fault.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06What I know of you, Serena, you're quite a strong person
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and you give that appearance, and you mightn't credit me saying that,
0:26:09 > 0:26:13but I think you've been remarkably resilient. And I think...
0:26:13 > 0:26:17we can't change what's happened in life. Stuff does happen,
0:26:17 > 0:26:21but how we respond to it is what people remember.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24In all the years since the bombing, no-one has been convicted.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27For some survivors, the lack of justice
0:26:27 > 0:26:29has proved impossible to accept.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33They should be brought to stand before courts of the law
0:26:33 > 0:26:36and get their just rewards
0:26:36 > 0:26:39for what they did to us and everybody else.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Will we ever get justice? I don't think so,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46but while there's breath in my body I will continue the fight
0:26:46 > 0:26:47to get justice for my father
0:26:47 > 0:26:51and everybody - and even the injured, they deserve justice too.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57The bomb that caused so much devastation exploded yards
0:26:57 > 0:26:59from where the survivors have reunited.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06Today, they head back to the very spot where it all happened.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11The night before I was dropped off right there.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Where they were planting it? We were in Dublin
0:27:13 > 0:27:15with a cross-community project
0:27:15 > 0:27:18and I was dropped off at 11 o'clock, just right there,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21And that's when they could have been putting it in. Could well have been.
0:27:21 > 0:27:27To think the night before that somebody came up that road
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Knowing that they're going to do that the next day.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31And then, life goes on, doesn't it?
0:27:31 > 0:27:35I was just thinking that there. Life just goes on.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37And you'd think nothing had ever happened here.
0:27:37 > 0:27:38That's exactly right, yeah.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44They gathered that cold Sunday morning in 1987
0:27:44 > 0:27:48to commemorate the lives of those lost in the two world wars.
0:27:48 > 0:27:5128 years on, they're doing the same
0:27:51 > 0:27:54for those they lost in their own town.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58Coming back to the site still fills me with dread.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00It's still quite eerie.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03But when the others told me I shouldn't feel guilty,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06it sort of lifted, lifted a burden off me.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09It made me feel that it was OK,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12that I shouldn't have to carry that with me.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Today was very special. I have to say I was very apprehensive
0:28:16 > 0:28:18about the whole thing today.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21I think it was the fact that we were going back over horrible times
0:28:21 > 0:28:23at the time of the bomb.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26But it was great meeting up with Serena, Stephen and Daphne.
0:28:26 > 0:28:26It has been a bit of a journey. It's nice to return to the town
0:28:26 > 0:28:30I was born in, grew up in,
0:28:32 > 0:28:36experienced that event, and look back on it.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Look back on it with...
0:28:39 > 0:28:42sadness, but also look back on it from the perspective that
0:28:42 > 0:28:44I've moved forward in life.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49Definitely not 25 years.