Omagh (2004) (TV)

Director:

Pete Travis

Writers:

Paul Greengrass (writer)
Guy Hibbert (writer)

Release Date:

22 May 2004 (Ireland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An examination of the aftermath of the 1998 Real IRA bombing that killed 29 people in Omagh, Northern Ireland.

Plot Keywords:

Irish Republican Army | Death In Family | Terrorism | Bombing | Northern Ireland

Awards:

13 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Gerard McSorley	...	Michael Gallagher
Michele Forbes	...	Patsy Gallagher (as Michèle Forbes)
Brenda Fricker	...	Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan
Stuart Graham	...	Victor Barker
Peter Ballance	...	Mark Breslin (as Peter Balance)
Pauline Hutton	...	Sharon Gallagher
Fiona Glascott	...	Cathy Gallagher
Kathy Kiera Clarke	...	Elizabeth Gibson
Claire Connor	...	Caroline Gibson (as Clare Connor)
Gerard Crossan	...	Hugh
Ian McElhinney	...	Stanley McCombe
Sarah Gilbert	...	Patricia McLaughlin
Alan Devlin	...	Laurence Rush
Frances Quinn	...	Marion Radford
Tara Lynne O'Neill	...	Carol Radford

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for an intense scene of terrorist violence, disturbing images and brief strong language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Ireland | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Tiger Aspect Productions

Trivia:

Out of respect for the victims families and the other survivors, the producers opted not to shoot any portion of the movie in Omagh. Instead it was shot on location in Navan, County Meath, Republic of Ireland.

Quotes:

Michael Gallagher: [on meeting Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein leader] Where's Lawrence? Stanley wouldn't come on principle, nor Godfrey or Ann Wilson. We should have spoken to the others at the very least, Lawrence. You didn't handle this right, you're gonna upset the whole group.
Laurence Rush: Are you coming or not? Gerry Adams is in a room there. And he's gonna have to face ME.

Yes, and...

Fortunately I had the opportunity to see this film in Mexico. Its powerful recreation of an actual event was underscored by its sympathetic portrayal of everyday life in Northern Ireland. I was impressed that the violence on screen was limited to the explosion. The sequencing of the movie was outstanding, beginning with the assassins driving through the hills to Omagh, shifting to a father and son working together in the town, and then into the center of the town itself. Although the locale was one small town, of course its theme applies to all too many parts of the world these days. One interesting detail is that the faces looked familiar but that isn't surprising because many Americans are descended from the Scotch-Irish who settled in Northern Ireland.