In summer 1998, a 200kg bomb rocked the sleepy Irish market town of Omagh. The incident, the worst in the history of 'the Troubles', killed 29 people and injured 473. The carnage had such an effect that, during the inquest, even the coroner, the usually collected John Leckey, lost his composure.
But Mr Leckey found the strength to berate the group that claimed responsibility for the atrocity, the Real IRA, whose bomb warnings he described as 'inadequate and misleading'.
An Irish Republican Army (IRA) splinter faction, the Real IRA has refused to honour the Ulster peace process and, in the past two years, has attempted incendiary attacks on targets in London, Birmingham and various parts of Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
The attacks have largely been foiled or bungled but, because of its devotion to violence, the Real IRA is reviled by both mainstream 'provos' (or provisional IRA members) and Loyalists (whose allegiance lies with Britain).
That revulsion has led to legal retribution. On August 7, eight days short of the fifth anniversary of the massacre kingpin Michael McKevitt received his comeuppance, despite attempts by the Real IRA to stop an undercover agent testifying by threatening to kill members of his family. McKevitt was sentenced to 20 years, officially for the charge of directing terrorism. This made him the first person to be convicted in Ireland of the offence, which was created in the wake of the Omagh bombing.
With the reputed boss behind bars, could the Real IRA now be on the run, or even finished?