The memorial to the victims of the Enniskillen Bomb, also known as ‘the Poppy Day Massacre’, which had been in storage following its original unveiling in 2017, has been erected in Enniskillen this week – a move that has been welcomed by the victims’ families.

A spokesperson for the families said: “The absence of a memorial to the victims of the Poppy Day Massacre has been a longstanding sore for the families, particularly after the memorial was unveiled in 2017 only to go quickly into storage.

“We are grateful to all who facilitated the erection of the memorial, and to all those, including the architect and stonemasons, who have completed the work to a high standard, thus ensuring that a fitting, permanent memorial is in place with full planning permission ahead of the 35th anniversary of the bombing.”

The £20,000 memorial, devised by Enniskillen-based victims group The Ely Centre to mark the 30th anniversary of the Enniskillen bombing on November 8, 1987, was originally unveiled outside the Clinton Centre in November, 2017, at an event attended by the families of those killed and injured by the bomb, along with Chief Constable George Hamilton, then DUP leader Arlene Foster, and others.

Hours later, the memorial – seen by the organisation as a lasting tribute to the 12 people who died, and 63 who were injured in the 1987 bombing – was removed and placed into storage out of sight just over a mile away in one of the most secure buildings in Enniskillen, the TA Centre at Rossorry Church Road.

The plan by The Ely Centre was proposed “without any consultation” with the Fermanagh University Partnership Board (FUPB) or St. Michael’s Diocesan Trust, the owners of the site.

FUPB also expressed concerns about the memorial, citing “practical difficulties, risks and health and safety issues” in relation to the “suitability of the proposed siting”.

Now, almost five years later, the memorial has been erected outside the Clinton Centre.

“This has been a matter of much prayer for the families over a number of years and we are delighted that the matter has finally been satisfactorily resolved.

“It is right and proper that the innocent victims are commemorated where their lives were brutally cut short,” said the spokesperson for the families.