Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Díreach agus muid tagtha le chéile le gnó na Dála a dhéanamh, tá Jessica Gallagher á cur i gcré na cille i reilig Chaisleán na dTuath, agus tús á chur le sochraid Martin McGill sa séipéal céanna. Tá ocht dteaghlach eile ag fáil faoi réir do shochraid. Sin sochraid i ndiaidh sochraide. Ba mhaith liom, ar ár son go léir, ár gcomhbhrón a chur in iúl do na teaghlaigh i gCraoslach agus i dTír Chonaill atá faoi scamall an bhróin tar éis an phléasctha thubaistigh an Aoine seo caite inar cailleadh deichniúr. Suaimhneas síoraí dá n-anamacha dílse agus leaba i measc na n-aingeal acu.

I ask Members to join me in expressing our deepest condolences to the community of Creeslough, particularly those who lost loved ones in last Friday's tragedy. Clearly, words cannot express the pain and grief of those who have lost family members or the loss felt by such a tight-knit community. Those who died, their families and the people of Creeslough are foremost in our thoughts in these very difficult days and in the weeks and months ahead. We also pay tribute to the bravery of the local people who helped the emergency services in every way possible. Beidh siad inár gcuimhne go deo. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílse.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Hugh Kelly, 59; Robert Garwe, 50; Martina Martin, 49, Martin McGill, 49; James O'Flaherty, 48; Catherine O'Donnell, 39; Jessica Gallagher, 24; Leona Harper, 14; James Monaghan, 13; and little Shauna Flanagan Garwe, five years of age. Ten women, men, boys and girls representing everything good, kind and beautiful about Creeslough, Donegal and our country were taken away in a tragic incident on a quiet Friday afternoon; fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, each one an enormous, incalculable loss in the lives of those around them.

This is a community bereft. A close-knit people in deep sadness and mourning, devastated by what has happened but it is also a community of great strength and resilience, pulling together to support each other through this terrible time.

Over the weekend, I met many people who shared their stories of the most extraordinary courage, commitment, heroism and love. They were stories of local people putting themselves at risk and doing everything humanly possible to save the lives of their neighbours in the aftermath of the explosion; of first responders and emergency services from North and South facing scenes that will stay with them for the rest of their lives but never hesitating for a second to do everything they could; of doctors, clinicians, nurses, porters, support staff and everyone working at Letterkenny hospital who were true models of compassion, care and professionalism; of a small village community putting its arms around its bereaved and giving a powerful example to the country and the world of the true meaning of meitheal.

As the people of Creeslough begin the rituals of funerals and burials, we gather as an Oireachtas this afternoon to offer our sincere sympathy, express our shared respect for the bereaved and the injured and to remember and honour those who have died. It is important, I think, that those struggling to make sense of the enormous and heartbreaking loss now confronting them know that the entire nation is with them in spirit. Words on their own cannot comfort the fathomless grief that so many will feel in the weeks and months ahead but what we can do and what I know we will do is to be there for them. Individually across this House and collectively as an Oireachtas and the service of the people of Ireland, we stand with the community of Creeslough and the people of Donegal at home and abroad. We pay tribute to the true courage and dedication of our emergency services and healthcare staff. We are reminded of the critical role that they play in our national life and we thank them for being there in our darkest moments of need.

Déanaimid comhbhrón a chroí le gach ar an gCraoslach i nDún na nGall. Tá pobal na tíre faoi scamall mór bróin anois agus iad ag smaoineamh ar a tharla tráthnóna Dé hAoine. Is tubaisteach agus is brónach an tragóid seo do theaghlaigh na ndaoine a maraíodh agus a gortaíodh.

We put our arms around the bereaved and the injured. We pledge to support this community now and in the time ahead as it comes to terms with this trauma. We remember those who have died: Hugh, Robert, Martina, Martin, James, Catherine, Jessica, Leona, James and Shauna. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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On Friday, our worlds stopped. Our hearts stopped as we learned of the terrible tragedy that was unfolding in Creeslough, a tragedy which makes no sense and whose only lesson is pain and loss. Since then, we have seen the best of each other. A small country becoming one big community to search together, to grieve together and to heal together. This week the world is watching us and it is seeing a nation in tears. As the people from this place, we send our condolences to all those whose grief is still raw and painful and all too terrible to comprehend. A nation stands with you. A nation mourns with you. Seasaimid libhse.

We give our thanks to the emergency services and the rescue workers and volunteers who came to the scene; the women and men who carried the prayers and hopes of a country with them as they did their work over many long and painful hours. We give our thanks to the countless people who are providing comfort and support and kindness to those heartbroken and grieving, whose compassion is the only response to the cruelty and capriciousness of an unjust and random world.

Today we are a country torn apart by grief but we are also a community joining together to help those worst affected and to do what we can to support each other.

The Government will put the full resources of the State behind the efforts to rebuild a broken community, to heal the many emotional and physical wounds. That also requires our help in the medium and long term because the deepest wounds are invisible and can last for a lifetime. When loved ones die in such terrible circumstances, they can become frozen in time. We remember them for how they died not how they lived, whom they loved and the many people who loved them in return. Let us not do that here. Let us celebrate the lives they shared with us, albeit for a very short time, the light they brought into the world and the love that will never die. Their story is now our story and that of our country. We remember them in our hearts today and forever.

Go ndéana Dia trócaire orthu agus go dtuga sé síocháin dóibh. Beidh Dia leo.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Friday, for the tight-knit community of Creeslough, was the beginning of the weekend. School was over. People were finishing up work. Children were buying treats and families in this peaceful rural community were running errands and stopping at the local Applegreen petrol station. Some had stopped to go into the station shop, were queuing for the post office or simply wanted to buy an ice cream. In the blink of an eye their lives ended after a deadly explosion tore the station and apartment complex apart. Everyday scenes in Creeslough's small rural community on that Friday autumnal afternoon changed in a second, tragically and cruelly for so many.

It was an unmerciful sight, locals and response services said. Emergency services and locals worked through the night to rescue survivors and recover the deceased. Tháinig an pobal le chéile chun cabhair agus tacaíocht a thabhairt dá chéile. The incredible community spirit and support on show in the most awful of circumstances must be commended. Yet it is difficult to imagine how the scale of these sudden devastating losses and trauma can possibly be absorbed or comprehended by the community in Creeslough. Such suffering has no debt left in numbness but still the community rally as the first of the ten funerals have been held today. Four men, three women, two teenagers and a five-year-old girl all lost their lives - little Shauna and her father Robert, Hugh, Catherine and her son James, Leona, Jessica, Martin, James and Martina. The mourning is only beginning. We must honour those precious lives and support that broken community. Those children and adults will be remembered through mourning and we mourn together as a nation.

Is minic in Éirinn agus fud fad Dhún na nGall go n-éistimid, le meas, le ceol an chaointe. Nach mór an cháil ar Chaoineadh na dTrí Mhuire? Ábhar suntais ab ea é an sólás a bhí le brath sa séipéal ar an gCraoslach Dé hAoine seo caite. Amach anseo cumfar caoineadh nua, caoineadh an Chraoslaigh nó caoineadh an deichniúr. Ba dhaoine iad a d’imigh ar shlí na fírinne, idir óg agus aosta, ar fad róluath. Cuimhneofar orthu le caoineadh. Tabharfar urraim dóibh le caoineadh.

Cabhrófar linn déileáil le huafás na tragóide seo tríd an gcaoineadh. Tógfaimid tacaíocht dá chéile trí chleachtadh agus canadh an chaointe. Bunófar cuimhní an Chraoslaigh leis an gcaoineadh. Ní bheidh a leithéidí arís ann. Is deora Dé a chuimhneoimid le chéile ag lorg sólás agus misneach do mhuintir an Chraoslaigh agus iad ag leanúint ar aghaidh gan a gclann ná na daoine is ansa leo atá imithe uathu.

Mar Aire Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán agus mar mháthair, ba mhaith liom mo chomhbhrón a chur in iúl do mhuintir an Chraoslaigh agus do mhuintir chontae Dhún na nGall go léir. Beidh siad beo inár gcroíthe inár smaointe agus inár bpaidreacha ar feadh i bhfad. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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When the Taoiseach and other political leaders stood together on Saturday night in Creeslough, with families and a community that had suffered a terrible loss, he was representing Irish people everywhere. There are no words that could properly express the heartbreak, pain and sorrow felt by so many. Ten precious lives are gone and a small community is devastated. The shock from this small village was felt across Ireland and beyond. Irish people everywhere are stunned. Many naturally feel that Creeslough could be their community, their place, their loved ones.

Like many Deputies, I am very familiar with Creeslough. I have family living close by, and I have had the honour of representing the area as an MEP. Creeslough is well known to people from right across Ireland and further afield because many will have spent time there in what is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Until last Friday afternoon, our enduring memories of Creeslough were happy ones - thoughts of a welcoming, friendly community that made everybody who had the privilege of visiting the area feel at home.

While the nation was shocked by the tragedy that has scarred that village forever, none of us was surprised by the instinctive reaction of those first on the scene. The response of the community in Creeslough has been immense. Minutes after the explosion, people came to help clear a path and secure the building in order that firefighters could get access. They did this without any thought for their own safety. Local nurses stayed on the scene all night, helping where they could. Neighbours opened their doors to locals and strangers alike and small businesses went well beyond the call of duty to support all those who came to help.

Fr. John Joe Duffy has been an incredible leader in his community. Our solidarity is with him as he leads his parish in the coming days. On behalf of Sinn Féin, I pay tribute to the emergency services, North and South - the gardaí, firefighters, Civil Defence, ambulance personnel, doctors and paramedics, some of whom put their own lives on the line throughout Friday night as the search continued. The pain was etched on their faces on Saturday evening as they talked about what had unfolded - the acts of bravery over so many long hours as the search went on, and the harrowing outcome. What they did in Creeslough will never be forgotten; not in that small community or anywhere else in the land.

Today, the families of Jessica Gallagher and Martin McGill have the awful task of burying their loved ones. The unspeakable grief will continue this week as the families of Leona Harper, Robert Garwe, little Shauna Flanagan Garwe, James O'Flaherty, Martina Martin, Hugh Kelly, Catherine O'Donnell and her son James Monaghan, will walk with their loved ones to their final resting place. Our thoughts and prayers are with them today and in the difficult days that lie ahead. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I wish to express my deepest sympathies and those of us all in the Labour Party on the terrible, tragic and shocking news from Creeslough last Friday. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families and friends of all the ten people who lost their lives so tragically, as well as with their broader community in Donegal.

We pay tribute to the bravery and courage of the emergency services and all who helped in the rescue effort. We are all heartbroken at the loss of life caused by this awful tragedy. We honour the names of those who died - James O'Flaherty, Martin McGill, Hugh Kelly, Robert Garwe, Shauna Flanagan Garwe, Catherine O'Donnell, James Monaghan, Martina Martin, Leona Harper and Jessica Gallagher. Ní bheid a leithéidí ann arís. May they rest in peace.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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The tragic loss of so many lives in Creeslough has cast a long dark shadow across the country. The entire nation was impacted with a sense of shock and grief. On Friday, 7 October, an explosion tore through the heart of this little town. For a small and close knit community like Creeslough, the deaths of ten people in such a devastating and inexplicable incident is a terrible burden to bear. The sheer randomness of the event makes it even harder to process. Everybody in this small town knows those who died. Every family is in some way touched by this appalling tragedy. People across the country have also got to know the victims, whose lives were cruelly snatched away.

Jessica Gallagher was supposed to start a new job as a designer in Belfast yesterday. She was about to embark on an exciting stage in her career; instead, she is being buried today. The funeral of Martin McGill, who was such a devoted carer to his mother, is also taking place today. In the course of the coming week, the country will be enveloped in a dense fog of sorrow as all ten victims - seven adults and three children - are laid to rest.

It is difficult at a time like this to find words that seem adequate to fully describe the intense heartbreak and incomprehension we all feel. There is no doubt the grief being experienced in Creeslough is immense, relentless and overpowering. In moments of deep despair, however, we can also see signs of hope, a chink of light to illuminate the darkness. That light came in the form of the many members of the community who worked tirelessly throughout the day and the night to save as many lives as possible and to retrieve the remains of those who had died. We also see a light in the response of the emergency services on both sides of the Border, who acted with such diligence, care and sensitivity at such an unspeakably awful time. We also hope those who were injured will recover from their wounds, and we think of the staff who are caring for them. My thoughts and sympathies and those of the wider Social Democrats are with the community of Creeslough and those who have worked and will work over the coming weeks and months to support them through this very dark time.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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On behalf of People Before Profit-Solidarity, I extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to all those who lost family members and friends and to the wider Creeslough community. What that community has suffered with the events on Friday is utterly unspeakable. No words we can say can possibly compensate for the shocking loss and tragedy they have experienced, but they deserve tribute for the incredible dignity and heroism they have demonstrated in the face of this horrendous, unspeakable tragedy.

As others have done, I also pay tribute to all the emergency services, who have done such heroic work. I know our words cannot compensate, but I hope the solidarity, the wishes and the thoughts that are being sent not just from this House but from all over the country can play some very small part in trying to comfort the family members and friends who have lost loved ones, as well as the community of Creeslough, at this dark time for them.

Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent)
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While I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Regional Group, I recognise how inadequate any words of mine must be in the face of such tragedy and loss. Nevertheless, I also want to pay tribute to the emergency services, both North and South of the Border, who rushed to the scene on Friday, once again answered for their courage and saved so many lives in so doing. I wish the injured, particularly those who are still in hospital, a full and speedy recovery and I commend the community in Creeslough on looking after one another, looking after the bereaved and helping in the rescue effort.

Most important, I pay tribute to the ten men, women and children who tragically lost their lives and convey the heartfelt sympathies of the Regional Group. I want also to highlight how difficult it is to pass on these sentiments from here in Dublin, so far from Donegal.

To conclude, and I am sorry for getting a small bit emotional, if grief is indeed the price we pay for love, and if mourning is indeed the eventual cost of companionship, then it is absolutely clear from what we have seen over the last few days that these people were hugely respected and will be terribly lost in their community. May they all rest in peace.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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It was with great sadness that we learned ten people perished because of the tragic explosion last Friday, with eight still in the hospital. Our hearts go out to their families, loved ones and the entire local community who are reeling from this incredible loss. On my behalf and on behalf of the Rural Independent Group, I wish to express our sincerest condolences to the families and the people of Creeslough for those who died in this tragedy. We also send our prayers to God for a speedy recovery of the injured. For the families of the ten individuals lost, we cannot bear as they do the full impact of this tragedy, but we feel the loss they are feeling and we are thinking about them greatly. The light from the candles on the altar of St. Michael's Church, lit by Fr. John Joe Duffy and his community, remind us of those who have perished and also of the immortal words of St. Francis of Assisi, who said, "All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle."

As a country, we are also inspired by the capacity for love, care and courage of those who responded during the crossroads of tragedy and recovery, and who continue to offer care and support for others. At this very difficult moment, let us keep those affected by the event in our prayers. They started today with two funerals and face a tough week as they lay to rest the immortal remains of the ten who perished. Our prayers are with them and with Fr. Duffy. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílse.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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On behalf of the Independent Group, I wish to begin by extending the apologies of Deputy Thomas Pringle, representative for the Donegal constituency, who cannot be here today to join in the condolences being offered to the people of Creeslough as he is in attendance at the Council of Europe. He asked me to say a few words.

This morning, President Higgins spoke with Deputy Pringle and the other members of the delegation about the tragedy that has left the community and, indeed, the whole country stunned with sadness. As families, neighbours and friends gather in their grief to lay loved ones to rest, I know the support of the community will be vital to giving them the strength they need to begin healing from the void that will be left in their lives. Today, as we speak, Jessica Gallagher and Martin McGill are the first to be laid to rest and over the coming days, another eight casualties of this incomprehensible incident will be mourned similarly. They were mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, parents and grandparents, and friends and loved ones to so many. I offer my sincere and heartfelt sympathies and solidarity, and those of my colleagues, to all the families and people of Creeslough and County Donegal.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Anois, ar son na bhfear, ar son na mban, ar son na bpáistí, agus ar son na n-othar atá ag fulaingt laistigh agus lasmuigh den ospidéal, seasfaimid nóiméad inár dtost leo, i dteanga Thír Chonaill, ar feadh bomaite.