McGuinness meets Warrington victims' parents

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has met with the parents of the victims of the IRA bomb attack on Warrington eight years ago.

The children, Tim Barry and Jonathan Ball, were killed and 56 others were injured in the atrocity in 1993.

Speaking in Warrington, the North’s Education Minister said he was sorry for the deaths.

McGuinness said: "We cannot change what has happened in the past but we can build and construct a new future for our children".

After the meeting at the Tim Parry and Johnathan Ball Young Peoples’ Centre, Colin Parry said it had not made him feel any different about the death of his son.

He said at the Peace Centre which was opened last year: ‘‘He was an unnecessary victim, one of 3,000-odd unnecessary victims in Northern Ireland, but I never expected meeting Mr McGuinness to make me feel different about the death of my son.’’

He added: ‘‘I will look back on this meeting as a particularly important one.’’

Mr McGuinness praised both sets of parents for their work in influencing the peace process.

At the time of the atrocity, Taoiseach Albert Reynolds said the double bombing had inspired his and then Prime Minister John Major’s efforts to find a peace for Northern Ireland.

Before going on to a children’s concert performed by choirs from the towns of Warrington, Omagh and Cork, Mr McGuinness said: ‘‘I think the events of the last 30 years have been very difficult for everybody and I think it is very important that the concert tonight is entitled A New Beginning.

‘‘What we have seen on the island of Ireland is a new beginning for all of us.’’