For Aileen Quinton, the 30th anniversary of the Enniskillen bombing is a surreal moment.
Three decades after she was told her mother, Alberta Quinton, 72, had been murdered in the blast, she says: “It’s so hard to believe that it’s been 30 years. There’s just an unreality about it.
“At the time, it just felt too awful to be true and in many ways it still is. I’m no more used to it. It’s still awful and it still matters.”
She remembers her mother, a retired nurse, as a lively and funny woman who was much loved by all those she cared for in the local hospital.
Ms Quinton says: “My mother had a great sense of humour and a great laugh. She was born to be a nurse, she just had a great way with her.
“Her two philosophies in life were help people wherever you can and have lots of fun. She always combined the two in everything she did.
“There was a marked contrast between her and the people who murdered her. She was dedicated to people’s health and well being, making their deaths as easy as possible, not like the IRA.”
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