LAST UPDATE | 10 Oct 2022
To donate to the Irish Red Cross appeal, click here.
PARISH PRIEST Father John Joe Duffy has said said the people of Creeslough would like to thank everyone for the support they have shown since the explosion on Friday.
An Garda Síochána have said it is being treated as a “tragic accident” with the cause currently understood to be connected with a gas leak at a building on the site. Forensic examinations are continuing at the site.
Books of condolences are being opened across the country today in tribute to the victims, while An Post and Irish Red Cross have announced donations can be made to help the stricken community at all post offices across the country starting today.
Looking at the 10 candles burning in St Michael’s Church, Father Duffy said: “I would like to offer my thanks on behalf of this community to all who were there and responded, but those continual offers of support that are coming towards us from this community, the outer communities around and about us, from across the country but beyond the shores of Ireland, from the United Kingdom, from the United States, from Sydney, people from here who are in the Middle East and different places.
“Their want to unite with us, the candle vigils, the support from Pope Francis, the kind messages from King Charles and the Queen Consort, to the President of Ireland, and words expressed by the British Prime Minister, and across all political and religious denominations that are coming towards us.
“That level of support that is coming from shops outside this area, as there is now no shop in this area, and people sending in food and so on.
“Just a genuine outpouring towards us which is like a tidal wave lifting us and trying to float us out of the tsunami of grief. We appreciate that so very much.”
The first funeral services for the ten victims will be held tomorrow morning in the village at St Michael’s Church, starting with a ceremony for 24-year-old Jessica Gallagher. Her remembrance will be followed only hours later by a service for 49-year-old Martin McGill.
On Wednesday, James O’Flaherty, 48, will be laid to rest in St Mary’s Church in Derrybeg. A funeral mass for Catherine O’Donnell and her son James Monaghan will be held at St Michael’s Church on Wednesday.
Seven other people died in the blast: 50-year-old Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe; 39-year-old Catherine O’Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan; 59-year-old Hugh Kelly; 49-year-old Martina Martin; and 14-year-old Leona Harper.
Gardaí said a man in his 20s remains in a critical condition at St James’s Hospital in Dublin.
Seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in Letterkenny University Hospital and remain in a stable condition.
Vigils were held across the weekend in the county. One gathering in Milford saw people come together at the top of the town to pay their respects, half an hour’s drive from the scene of the tragedy.
A vigil was held in Letterkenny for teenager Leona Harper, while hundreds lined the road holding candles to pay their respects to Jessica Gallagher, 24.
There were similar scenes in the town of Castlefinn, where a moment of prayer was held before a two-minute silence.
Musician Marian Harper-Coleman played the song Cutting The Corn In Creeslough on the button accordion.
During a briefing on Saturday, gardaí said forensic science experts from the National Technical Bureau had travelled from Dublin to examine the scene in Creeslough.
Sources have told The Journal that the belief among investigators is that the blast was caused by a gas leak inside the building.
Meanwhile, An Post and the Irish Red Cross have came together to raise funds for the community.
Head of corporate communications for An Post, Anna McHugh, also paid tribute to the “bravery” of staff who had “helped to pull people from the rubble” and later assisted the injured and dying.
She told RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland programme that it has agreed with Irish Red Cross to set up up the Creaslough Communtity Support Fund, which can accept donations at the company’s post offices nationwide by cash or credit card from today.
There will be no fee payable for making the donations.
Applegreen, which saw its local partner station destroyed in Friday’s blast, has made an initial donation of €50,000 to the fund.
“All of those donations will go through the Irish Red Cross, who will work with the state services and the local service providers to provide practical support and services to those who’ve been bereaved, injured, who’ve lost their jobs and lost their homes in Friday’s tragedy,” McHugh said.
“There’s no fee payable for those making those donations. And that’s live from today and also delighted that Apple Green are also collaborating and facilitating online donations for the same fund.”
The @irishredcross will formally launch its appeal, which is also being supported by @Postvox, later today. We will be promoting the Creeslough Community Support Fund in our network of almost 200 locations in Ireland. We have also made an initial donation of €50,000 to the fund.
— Applegreen (@goapplegreen) October 10, 2022
The head of fundraising at Irish Red Cross, Charlie Lamson, told the same programme that it would work with the Donegal Community Forum to coordinate the response.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done on on the specifics of how that all will be coordinated. But the idea here is that by working with An Post as well as Apple Green, the Red Cross can serve as a trusted and known, coordinated resource for people who want to support the community,” he said.
In a statement, Applegreen chief executive Joe Barrett said the company has been inundated with offers of support from customers, suppliers and other retailers since Friday.
“We are very grateful to all those who have reached out in solidarity. We will be working with the Irish Red Cross to facilitate donations to the Creeslough Community Support Fund through our entire store network.
“All of Ireland has been touched by what has happened in Creeslough and I think people want to help in any way that they can. We’ll also continue to support our local partners in Creeslough over the coming days and months.”
To donate to the Irish Red Cross appeal, click here.
Condolences
The Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy has opened an online Book of Condolence for the citizens of Dublin to extend their sympathies and to allow people pay tribute to the ten people who died in the Creeslough explosion.
It is open online from today Monday 10th October until Thursday 20th October. All messages of sympathy will be printed and forwarded in a Book of Condolence to Donegal County Council.
Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy said: “On behalf of the people of Dublin, I wish to extend my heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families of the 10 people who died and the wider community in Creeslough for their terrible loss.
“This devastating news has had a major impact on everyone throughout the country and we are all shocked and saddened by this most dreadful tragedy.”
The Mayor of the County of Cork Danny Collins has also opened a book of condolences for the citizens of Cork county.
HSE chief executive Stephen Mulvanny contacted staff this morning to pay tribute to the work of emergency services north and south for their efforts at the scene.
“In particular, I would like to thank the staff of our National Ambulance Service who were at the site of the accident in Creeslough, the team at Letterkenny University Hospital and to the team in CHO 1 who continue to work to support the community and each other following this tragedy, along with local GP colleagues.
“At times like this we are reminded that our colleagues do not just serve communities in which they are based. They are part of those communities, they live and work there and are deeply affected when unimaginable tragedies like this happen.
“Since Friday afternoon we have seen all our teams in Donegal across emergency services, hospital services and community services work so closely together to support the community of Creeslough, and I would like to acknowledge and thank them.”
Celtic Football Club said it “wishes to send our most sincere condolences” to the families of the victims.
“We offer our full support to the entire community, which is suffering so much at this difficult time,” it tweeted.
To donate to the Irish Red Cross appeal, click here.
Additional reporting by Press Association
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say