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Memorial unveiled to victims of Shankill bomb

A new memorial plaque for those killed in the Shankill bomb has been unveiled in Belfast.

The plaque depicts a clock stopped at 1.06, the exact time the blast occurred on the Shankill Road on this day in 1993.

Gina Murray and Bobby Baird unveiled the memorial.

A memorial service was held at the West Kirk Presbyterian church on the Shankill Road, metres from where the bomb went off.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson was among those in attendance.

The service was led by Rev David Clawson, Minister of West Kirk Presbyterian.

Addressing the congregation, Rev Clawson said that "mayhem visited on this community" 30 years ago.

Just before 1.06pm, a bell tolled nine times, once for each victim and a moments silence was held.

A living memorial in the form of nine trees was also established in a park beside the church to mark the anniversary.

President Michael D Higgins said: "As their families and relatives will be recalling the loved ones cruelly taken from them, we too are thinking of the families and community of all those murdered 30 years ago today in the Shankill Road bombing.

"Their courage, resilience, and grief reminds us that while peace is difficult to achieve, and so difficult to maintain, it can be achieved even from the most harrowing of circumstances."

Group Commander from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service David Harbinson attended the service today.

He said he was there to remember those who lost their lives 30 years ago.

Mr Harbinson said that families, the community and first responders were affected by the tragedy.

"Hopefully we'll never see the likes of it again", he said.

Alan McBride lost his wife Sharon in the bombing.

He said today was a day of mixed emotions and he was happy to see some of the Ballymurphy families attend the memorial service

Mr McBride said his message has been the same for the last 30 years.

"I want peace and reconciliation. I want society to move on and to give our children and our children's children the chance of a brighter future", he said.

He called on Northern Ireland's politicians to get back to Stormont.

"The fact they're not around the table, actually making legislation and actually working out how we are actually govern this place and how we're going to take this place forward for everybody that lives here, Catholic, Protestant, nationalist, unionist, loyalist, republican; that's a great sadness", he said.