Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Ceann Comhairle back to the House after his recent illness.

Yesterday marked one month since the devastating explosion took place at the Applegreen station in Creeslough. Donegal has not been the same since that day. I speak on behalf of the entire county when I say that our hearts are broken and our thoughts are constantly with those who passed and their friends and families. A community was changed forever on 7 October and it is unimaginable to think what the loss of ten people is to a community of only approximately 400. Parents, grandparents, children, siblings, partners, friends, neighbours and colleagues were all lost suddenly and many lives were permanently changed. It is absolutely heartbreaking.

Coming to terms with this incredible loss is a very long and devastating process and should be supported in every way possible. Several month's mind masses will take place over the coming days. This will be a fresh wave of grief for the community and it is a reminder to the nation of Donegal's darkest day. For all of us in the county, however, this tragedy has stuck with us every day since. A dark cloud lingers over the hills and, frankly, I do not think the county will every be the same again.

In order to help come to terms with this devastating loss, supports should be available to the community during this time and long into the future. Maybe it is not the right time to say so but I have to say I am very disappointed to hear that supports have been scaled back in recent days. The grieving process has only just begun for this community and we must ensure the people of Creeslough are supported and given the space needed to grieve. I call on the HSE to bring back the drop-in counselling support services in Creeslough, not only during this difficult time, but in order to be available at any point in the future. Twenty days is not nearly enough time for those affected.

In the past month, the community has been numbed by a sense of shock. It is only in the coming months and years that people will properly come to terms with the unspeakable nightmare that cruelly visited them on that day. It has still not sunk in for people. Many locals say they are struggling with sleep in particular. Counselling without a GP referral should still be available to everybody. I heard on the radio yesterday that the HSE has confirmed that counselling will still be available for the community, but to have it directed through the already-creaking GP service is not good enough. It needs to be available easily. At the very least, the contact phone number should be maintained. The weeks ahead are when people will need support even more, as it is attempted to return to so-called normal.

I think of the children of the area in particular. No doubt they will have difficulty processing such a tragedy as time and life go on. I am also thinking of the brave locals who rushed to the scene to help with the rescue efforts. They show the type of community Creeslough is. I can only imagine the harrowing scene with which they were met and how this will no doubt stay with them for life.

I also have to address public representatives. I am thinking in particular of the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, and the disgraceful tweets she sent which caused distress and annoyance to many Donegal people. They were alleging sinister motivation within an hour of the disaster happening. No one was in any way able to make decisions about what could have happened that quickly. It was in such bad taste that it is hard to understand. It caused hurt to many people in Donegal. People have asked me to raise this and that is why I am doing so. I urge everyone to think before they comment in future because words have an impact. I take this opportunity to call on fellow representatives, the media and the nation as a whole to respect the privacy of the community at this difficult time.

The country came together for Creeslough. The generosity of Irish people at home and abroad was truly incredible. I know it meant a lot to the people of Creeslough and Donegal to know that the country stood with them in a time of need. Now the community needs the space to cope with the grieving process and to honour their loved ones. I will take the opportunity to recognise the efforts of all those who have supported the community in the past month: the clergy; the emergency services North and South; the businesses that offered their services and the surrounding communities that pulled together to support Creeslough.

We remember James O'Flaherty, Jessica Gallagher, Martin McGill, Catherine O'Donnell, James Monaghan, Hugh Kelly, Martina Martin, Robert Garwe, Shauna Flanagan Garwe and Leona Harper who are forever in the hearts of the people of Donegal and represented the best of our county. When faced with tragedy, the Creeslough community responded with remarkable kindness. It demonstrated exactly what it is to come from a rural community in Donegal. When grief hits, we band together, silently and instinctively. There is a quiet kindness to the love and care of a community holding each other up and looking after each other without words or question. That is what being from Donegal is about and what the Creeslough community will be remembered for.

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