Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At 3.18 p.m. on 7 October 2022, a moment happened that will be etched into the souls of the people of Donegal for generations. Ten people going about their daily routine had their lives cut short in an event that spread across the world. The lives of young Shauna Flanagan Garwe and her dad Robert Garwe, Catherine O’Donnell and her son James Monaghan, Leona Harper, Jessica Gallagher, James O’Flaherty, Martin McGill, Martina Martin and Hugh Kelly were lost, and we mourn them.

Donegal people stretch far beyond the 4,800 sq. km and 166,000 inhabitants of the county. The Donegal people and our diaspora spread to the four corners of the globe. What links the people of Donegal who are in the county with those acting as ambassadors for our great county across the world is their sense of community, compassion and togetherness. This is especially the case in the tight-knit community of Creeslough.

It is a village known throughout the country for its warmth, hospitality, kindness and sincerity.

While a terrible shadow has been cast across our county, we have seen the best of Donegal people in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy and since. Within minutes of the incident, the emergency services were on-site at the filling station. There was no time for them or the locals to think, only act. Each of our emergency services working with local people were heroic in their efforts. They risked their own lives to save those in Creeslough. The people of Donegal will never forget their heroism and commitment to their fellow people. Superintendent David Kelly and the Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, chief ambulance officer, John Joe McGowan, and the first responders, consultant in emergency medicine, Mr. Gerry Lane, and Mr. Seán Murphy and the Letterkenny University Hospital, LUH, team all played an enormous role immediately after the explosion and in the hours and days that followed. Specifically on healthcare, I sincerely thank the ambulance drivers, paramedics, doctors, surgeons, the county coroner, Dr. Denis McCauley, nurses, porters and all the staff at Letterkenny University Hospital, and all those who treated the injured and dying in their of need. They saved lives and gave us hope and comfort.

The Donegal services were led by Mr. Garry Martin and county manager Mr. John McLaughlin from Donegal County Council. Emergency services were co-ordinated by Mr. Brian Ó Fearraigh, the regional advanced paramedic supervisor. We must also thank the urban search and rescue team from the North, one of the many examples of cross-Border co-operation following the tragedy, for its work. The role of the local community was to the fore in the immediate response. This was typified by the digger driver who worked late into the night without a break to help work through the remains of the building and try to rescue and recover those inside.

Of course, volunteers of all ages played a huge role in keeping the community, people and emergency services together over the time. Our thoughts, at all times, have never left those who have lost their loved ones and whose lives are irreparably changed and altered forever. Our thoughts are also very much with those who continue to recover from their injuries on that day, in particular, the two survivors who remain in hospital. When An Taoiseach visited the site the day after the explosion, he was very much moved by how the volunteers were so giving of their time as part of the search effort as well as ensuring that everyone at the site was looked after. In particular, he asked me to mention Siobhan Carr and her team in the Coffee Pod café, which stayed open day and night to offer food and a place of refuge for those carrying out the search. A warm heart through the tears and a cup of tea was what so many people needed and valued that weekend.

The spirit of support and volunteerism also resulted in a contribution of more than €1.6 million to two separate support funds. This will be a real help to those in the local area in the time ahead. I also express my sincere thanks to those who offered accommodation and supports, those who helped out at religious services and everyone who helped and supported in any way. I recognise, in particular, the immense support provided by local clergy to the community in its time of immense need, in particular the leadership and role played by Fr. John Joe Duffy, who was a tower of strength throughout, and to Bishop Alan McGuckian and Bishop Andrew Forster as well as Fr. Brian Ó Fearraigh and Fr. Michael Carney, who conducted the funerals and supported families with many of their colleagues over the course of that week and since. At a time when their people needed them, they stepped forward to support. They knew and did their best to provide comfort and ease the pain of those who lost their loved ones, which was very much valued by all. I also recognise the presence of our Uachtarán in attending and being present in support of the community at those funerals and wakes over the course of the week, and also the visit of the Taoiseach and Tánaiste.

The Government will continue to back the people of Creeslough and we will stand with the community for as long as it takes. Through my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, we are extending the humanitarian assistance scheme to households damaged by the explosion. The funds will provide financial support to people who have suffered damage to their home and property. The HSE is providing counselling to those who need it. The impacts of this awful accident may only start to affect people from now on so I urge anyone who needs to talk to someone to reach out and do so.

From being in Creeslough with fellow Oireachtas Members over that week, and attending each of the funerals, I know just how heartbroken is this small village of 400 people along the N56. This is a pain that will remain with the local community and bereaved families for the remainder of their lives. It is now that the local community is trying to start to pick up the pieces and reconnect with some semblance of normal life. It has been good to see the efforts under way the Lafferty family to reopen a shop at the heart of the local community. I was heartened, in particular, to see the return to some small semblance of normality with the St. Michael’s under-13 team, who were recently three-point winners over Naomh Conaill in the division two Donegal cup final. The team, which counts all-Ireland winning manager Jim McGuinness in its backroom team, has lifted the spirits of people locally. Never before did a community need an under-13 league final as much as this. Jim’s son, Mark Anthony, captained the young men to the cup and said in his speech that the win was “for the community”. Those words and the actions of St. Michael's, its chair and volunteers deserve special mention too. Similar words were also brilliantly spoken by Ireland soccer hero Amber Barrett who has a deep connection to the village.

One month on, Donegal still mourns for the people of Creeslough. One year on, Donegal will mourn for the people of Creeslough. Donegal will always remember the people, the community and the togetherness of Creeslough. A shadow may have been cast but the sun will rise again. We will all stand by the people of Creeslough and never forget those ten people who died simply going about their daily lives or their loved ones whose lives have been so unalterably changed as a result. Ní neart go cur le chéile.

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