A multi-denominational prayer service tribute to the bereaved and the victims of the Omagh bombing will take place before the All-Ireland hurling semi-final replay between Clare and Offaly at Croke Park on Saturday.
The service will begin at 3.0 p.m. and the match itself has been put back to 3.35. The ceremony will include a reading of brief prayers by children representing the 32 counties of Ireland and will conclude with a minute's silence.
The GAA has requested supporters to attend in time for this ceremony as an expression of sympathy and support for the victims and bereaved of Omagh.
The GAA has deeply resented criticism of the fact that last Sunday's All-Ireland hurling semifinal between Kilkenny and Offaly was not postponed and that Saturday and Sunday's were not cancelled either. A spokesman has pointed out that many of the victims of the bombing were active members of the GAA and that the president, Joe McDonagh, and the director general, Liam Mulvihill, as well as many other GAA members have been in contact directly with the bereaved and the victims.
There will be a GAA presence at the funerals of all the victims and the ceremony at Croke Park on Saturday will mark "with compassion and dignity the profound feelings within the GAA on a nationwide basis" the spokesman said.
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