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LAST UPDATE | 9 Oct 2022
A VIGIL HAS taken place for the victims of the Creeslough explosion and their families.
Tributes have continued to pour in for the families affected and the Creeslough community, including a message of condolence from Pope Francis.
Speaking to The Journal after the vigil, organiser Declan Meehan said: “It was important for us to provide some sort of focal point in the community for people’s shock, for their grief, and for the feeling of helplessness.
“We wanted everyone in the community to feel part of it, people of faith and of none.”
Dozens of people stood in the rain to pay their respects, with several musical tributes.
At the end of the vigil, held at the top of the Co Donegal town of Milford, the crowd sang an Irish language hymn, A Mhuire Mhathair.
Hot drinks and biscuits were handed out afterwards, as people gathered to process the news in the aftermath of the tragedy.
It is the first of almost 20 vigils due to be held across Co Donegal.
Meehan said: “We’ve never experienced anything like this before in Donegal, so there’s no playbook.
It’s incredibly important to be there in the coming weeks, months and even years, because anyone who’s experienced grief and bereavement knows that the days thereafter are just the start of it.
“It’s a much, much longer road to grieve properly and process it and to heal.”
Meehan said it was also important to support emergency responders who attended the scene, as “a lot of them have experienced a lot of things none of us can ever imagine.”
Donegal musician Cormac Friel performed a song he wrote about the tragedy:
We light our candles and pray for those who’ve gone /
And think of the others who carry their memories on /
There are things in this life that are to hard to understand /
We gather together hand in hand /
United with Creeslough we stand
A statement sent by the Pope’s representative to Bishop of Raphoe Alexander McGuckian read: “His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the explosion in Creeslough and he expresses his spiritual closeness to all those suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy.
“While entrusting the deceased to the merciful love of almighty god, His Holiness implores the divine blessings of consolation and healing upon the injured, the displaced and the families coping with pain of loss.
“As a pledge of strength and peace in the lord, the Holy Father sends his blessing to all the people of Ireland.”
Gardaí named the 10 victims this afternoon at a media conference.
Local pharmacist Fergus Brennan said the youngest victim, five-year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe, was a “beautiful little girl” who used to “bounce into the shop”, and would always ask for a lollipop.
“As the names were confirmed, the stories of these people … really are embedded in the community,” he told RTÉ News.
Brennan told The Journal that the sense of shock in the community was compounded by the fact that the shop was frequented by everyone in the town: “It could happen anywhere … a freak accident.
“Any one of us could be in that tragic list of 10 names.
He said Creeslough struggled through the recession and is “getting back on its feet” with successful businesses such as the service station.
But “all that matters now are the eight homes that are devastated by the loss of a loved one.”
He paid tribute to all the victims, and mentioned that 49-year-old Martin McGill was in the pharmacy “two or three times a week” as he was a “dedicated carer” for his mother.
A man in his 20s remains in a critical condition in St James’s Hospital in Dublin following Friday’s blast.
The seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in Letterkenny University Hospital and remain in a stable condition.
Political leaders pay tribute
Earlier today, Taoiseach Micheál Martin met those who were admitted to hospital after the service station explosion.
He also met with the medical team who were on duty on the day of the explosion in the village, as well as members of Letterkenny fire station.
Accompanying Martin were Agriculture Minister and Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee paid tribute to the victims on RTÉ One today, remarking: “We all offer our condolences to the families whose lives have been utterly changed forever but but the entire community I know will be coming to terms with this for a long time.
She also thanked “the Gardaí, the ambulance service, fire service, people who themselves came and literally lifted bricks with their bare hands, not just in Donegal but across the border. I mean, we can only commend them and I know they’ll need our help and support as well.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald visited the town last night with Donegal TD Pearse Doherty.
Local mass
Bishop of Raphoe Alan McGuckian said the people of Creeslough are “living through a nightmare of shock and horror”.
Addressing the congregation during Sunday mass at St Michael’s Church, the bishop said: “At this time, you, the people of Creeslough are living through a nightmare of shock and horror since the very heart of the community was deeply wounded on Friday afternoon.
“It’s an experience that we are living through together. But we recognise that the trauma is different for every single individual. We hold in our hearts most especially those for whom this is most acute.”
Gardaí said that while they will be investigating the cause of the explosion, signs currently point towards it being a tragic accident.
It is understood that one avenue of investigation is the cause being a gas explosion.
Additional reporting by Press Association and Diarmuid Pepper in Creeslough
Turkey has been threatening this for a while… These people want to get to EU countries mostly France and Germany and former EU country the UK, but Europe is not assisting the Turks, it’s only a matter of time again…. and many of these could be ISIS fighters wanting to return home…. They need to be accessed with proper documentation and all finger printed, just like the EU does with African refugess/asylum seekers.
@Paul O’Sullivan: the EU needs to hold firm against this Turkish blackmail
@Paul O’Sullivan: and where is the database with all the fingerprints of the ISIS fighters?
@SFAnkleTapper: there is none…. Asylum seekers only have to give their fingerprints at the point of application for Asylum. Many of the ISiS fighters will be returning to their home countries UK /Belgium /France men of Arab origin who destroyed their documentation who will be moonlighting as Syrian refugees. Hence my point a record needs to be kept of these individuals.
If they are genuine they have nothing to hide. The fingerprinting is to keep a record of any future incidents.
@Paul O’Sullivan: so no prevention.
@SFAnkleTapper: I agree a disaster isn’t it.
Turkey is chomping at the bit for a land grab & war with Syria, The SAA are battle hardened and have the support of Russia, Erdogan will get his ass handed to him along with his aspirations for Turkish conquest.
Greece should take no more refugees with militants in the mix. The Greeks of Lesbos and Chios have made it clear they will take no more.
@Raven: That’s all well and good, but if the Turks are brought into a War it could lead to them at war with Iran, that will result in an attack on the toxic state of Israel. That will bring in the US and Nato…
Turkey has been asking for assistance with this a long time. The refugess dont want to be in Turkey they want to be in the EU. That’s the problem..
@Paul O’Sullivan: has its stands. Very large amounts of refugees /migrants from the middle east who are mostly Muslims have landed on Europe’s shores and have gain entry into Europe mainland . There is many issues with integration with the local populations,these people would be arriving from strict Islamic society’s.they would have sever problems with western cultures and liberal values. could these people not be relocated to mostly Moslem countries where their culture and religious values would be respected and inforced
@Paul O’Sullivan: Sure, They have been asking for help, but what is the reply from Saudi, The Emirates etc? This is causing social issues within Europe, but you won’t hear about parallel societies, non integration, crime stats via MSM.
@Raven: oh I agree with you Arab nations have never really looked after struggling Arabs..Saudi Arabia is one of the most despicable countries on the planet, if they had no oil they would have nothing…
@Bobby wilson: Agree with you totally, but Europe may need to provide something to keep them out….
@Bobby wilson: think it’s mainly you that doesn’t respect *muslim values. Why does a religion need to be *enforced on anyone? If you’re not Muslim then what does it matter to you?
Standard rhetoric from you eh lad.
@Paul O’Sullivan: You say the refugees want to be in the EU, but where they really want to be is at home in the communities they grew up in and live in. Tens of thousands of ordinary people are being murdered and used as pawns by the Turkish regime and others to further their objectives in the region.
@Paul O’Sullivan: “if the Turks are brought into a War”
Turkey is at war with Syria.
In the past 2 weeks the Turks have destroyed 5% of Syria’s armour, kiled 100s of Syrian government troops, and today they shot down two Syrian jets and destryed several air defence systems.
Here’s is video footage of Turkish troops firing an anti-aircraft missile from a rooftop, shooting down a Syrian government helicopter 2 weeks ago (could so easily have been Russian), with Al Qeada aillied fighters cheering in the foreground (loud warning):
https://twitter.com/Adnan_Alhusen/status/1227857701604069376
Turkey released 10 minutes of footage of them blowing up Syrian army tanks and troops with drones, recorded over the last 2 weeks in Idlib:
@Dermot Foley: so how do you preposed for myself and the Irish people on the island of IRELAND and main land Europe respect our new Muslims populations as refugees /migrants into their towns and cities. like in some parts of Britain where sharia laws are recognized by courts of lands like in their own home lands ..etc …as someone who live and work in a Islamic society over a period time it is completely different way of life if your not a Muslim and saying it very mildly
@Paul O’Sullivan: why does the Irish people and Europe have to offer them anything ! Why not the world how many refugees arrived in Japan which is one of the richest countries in the world….what’s happening in the middle east is very complex is centre around religion its bother fighting brother…
@David Jordan:
So Turkey being a member of NATO would mean NATO are at war with Syria.
@Dermot Foley:
Some rhetoric there at the Greek border, wouldn’t you agree.
https ://twitter.com/BasedPoland/status/1234038726952673281?s=20
@Raven: * So Turkey being a member of NATO would mean NATO are fighting with al Qaeda.
Here’s Turkish fighter jets sky writing over a Turkish base in Syria…
@Bobby wilson: you want sharia law recognised like parts of the UK!?!?
YOU go and live there and take anyone else who wants to be in that toxic cult with you please
@Simon McGunner: definitely not! But their are people out their from liberal west who are proposing that we must look into ways to accommodate Muslim refugees /migrants into the host cummunites. in ways that make their religious practices are valued and respected in equal to western values.
@David Jordan:
I have a link here to a video from yesterday where Turkish military personnel are beating and torturing captured Syrian military personnel, cannot is as it will be deleted by the mods. Not s love heart in sight. Turkey have no business having bases in Syria.
They need to get out, maybe the Russian Navy vessels en route will help them along.
@Bobby wilson: We saw your comments on the balgaddy lucan mosque. your obviously some Islamic crusader. That cult is responsible for FGM and a lot of other sick activities. Look at Rotherham in the UK all those children molested and not protected by the law. We just got he Catholic church under control we don’t need this cult in the West.
@Simon McGunner: I am trying to point out what happens when you have large scale Islamic immigration on to island of Ireland and main land Europe too and the world for that matter, to the local non Islamic populations and how relationships break down between the cultures .because of the strict religious Islamic believes come up against thec non Islamic believes ..that I believe Islamic populations should be relocate themselves to majority countries where their believes and culture is respected and enforced by the state.
If people have made it to Turkey they were refugees and are now in a safe country. If they are now looking to come to an EU country then they are migrants.
@SFAnkleTapper:
*Economic migrants, and if they are storming the Greek border, which thousands have, then they’re called illegal immigrants.
@Raven: correct.
@SFAnkleTapper: Looks like the Greeks have had enough, Greek military personnel and hardware are en route to the borders/. transit points with Turkey, Lesbos locals have burned down the UN migrant centers so no more can be received and today with Erdogans announced threat that he’d release refugees to Greece, Soros NGOs of German origin showed up on Lesbos only to be ran off and told to leave by the local Greeks. More blood and misery that originated with Merkel.
The problem is the war.
The solution is not to just put these people into Europe.They are not entitled automatic entry to Europe, like anyone else.The Greeks need help from EU to keep their borders and people and way of life as they see fit.
What is the response of oil rich middle Eastern countries to this crisis? There are camps suitable for housing millions in Saudi Arabia for example.
Can EU not help build camps in Turkey and when the war is over most people would go home no ?
Yes Turkey may need some help with this refugee side of the war they are in , like the €6 billion from the EU which is probably now spent.
They are seeking aid and at war.
They do deal very generously with millions of refugees from Syria and do need help.
have your say