Hearings Attendance Guide: Corn Exchange Building

Introduction

The Omagh Bombing Inquiry will occasionally use the Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry’s hearing space for proceedings in Belfast. The Inquiry’s website will detail the location of all the Inquiry’s hearings.  

This document will provide general guidance for all those wishing to attend hearings held in the Corn Exchange Building.  

Support Services

The Inquiry is working with WAVE Trauma Centre to provide support to all those affected by the proceedings. Counsellors will be available to provide private 1:1 support to any attendees.  

WAVE are also available to provide support to anyone watching proceedings online and can be contacted on 028 8225 2522.  

Further information is available here.

How to attend the Inquiry’s hearings

The hearings are open to anyone aged 14 or over who wishes to attend. There are seats available in the public gallery in the hearing room.  

The hearings will be held at the Third Floor, Corn Exchange Building, 31 Gordon Street, Belfast, BT1 2LG. A link to the venue can be found here.  

Children and young people attending hearings

Anyone aged under 14 will not be permitted to attend the hearing room to observe. This is because the content of the hearings may be distressing and traumatic, which may be unsuitable for children or young people. The same rule applies to the additional family viewing room.

Press attendance at hearings

We anticipate that journalists will attend the hearings. Members of the media may sit in the public gallery in the hearing room or in the separate media annex to follow proceedings.  

Members of the press are not allowed to use recording equipment or conduct interviews inside of the hearing centre. However, for those attending the hearings it is important to be aware that you may appear in the background of news footage of media coverage when entering or exiting the front entrance.  

Media have been asked to respect the wishes of those attending who do not wish to appear on camera or be approached by journalists.  

For members of the press who wish to attend the hearings please contact media@omagh.independent-inquiry.uk to accredit your attendance.  

Getting to Corn Exchange

There is no parking available at the Corn Exchange itself but the closest car park is the Dunbar Pay and Display Street Parking. There are a number of other car parks in the City Centre and the area is well served by public transport.  

The hearing room is wheelchair accessible and all rooms used by the Inquiry have lift or ramp access. 

All those attending the Inquiry will enter through the ground floor double doors and take the lift to the third floor where they will be greeted by the Inquiry team.  

The Inquiry’s hearing room

The hearing room will have space for the Inquiry Chairman, Counsel to the Inquiry, Solicitor to the Inquiry, Core Participants and their Legal Representatives and members of the public and press to hear the opening statements from all Core Participant teams.  

Filming, photography and live reporting, including on social media, is not permitted in the hearing room. Those seated in the public gallery are also asked not to use their electronic devices.  

Only water can be consumed in the hearing room.  

Attendees can move in and out of the hearing room freely.  

Core Participant Space

The Inquiry has a number of rooms available for Core Participants to use:

• Family room – This room is available to all those impacted by the bombing, this room will not show a feed of the hearing and is instead a break-out space.  
• Core Participant consultation room – this room is open to Core Participants and their legal representatives and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.  
• Emotional support room – WAVE have a dedicated room within the Corn Exchange to provide emotional support to all attendees.  

Security process and prohibited items  

Before entering the hearing room, you will go through a brief security check including a wand check and a bag search. Please let the security team know if you have any concerns about this. 

There are a number of prohibited items, including:  

• Weapons of any kind 
• Sharp items including blades, scissors and razors  
• All photographic, audio and video recording equipment, whether digital or analogue – with the exception of mobile phones which must be switched off  

Other ways to follow the Inquiry

The hearing will be livestreamed (subject to a short delay) on the Inquiry’s YouTube channel.   

Transcripts of the proceedings will be published on the Omagh Bombing Inquiry website at the end of each day.  

The Inquiry will publish updates and information on its social media feed on X: OmaghBombingInq 

Queries about the hearings

If you have any questions about attending the hearings which have not been answered in this guide, please email operations@omagh.independent-inquiry.uk.