The victims of the Creeslough explosion were deeply in the minds of all present at today’s opening of Creeslough Community Links Hub.
The hub, located in the heart of the village, has been established to give information, supports and services to the healing community as they continue to recover from the loss of 10 lives in an explosion at the local service station on October 2022.
Minister of State for Community Development, Integration and Charities, Joe O’Brien paid tribute to the resilience and unity of the people of Creeslough today as he formally opened the community hub.
The hub was once a derelict building, but it is now an open space for residents, businesses, and organisations to gather and share resources and ideas.
Addressing attendees, Minister O’Brien said: “I have no doubt this community hub will continue to serve as a sanctuary for healing, a hub for support and a symbol of your collective strength for many years to come.
“I am confident that the community spirit here in Creeslough will allow you to continue your journey, all the time remembering those families that have lost ten precious loved ones and the injured, whose lives were altered forever.”
In March 2023, the Creeslough Together Initiative (CTI) was awarded almost €500,000 by the Department of Rural and Community Development to support their ongoing work. The CTI team works with and consults with the wider Creeslough community, supporting the recovery and sustained growth of the Creeslough community.
Minister Joseph O’Brien addresses the crowd while Community Links Manager, Majella McFadden, looks on.
Minister O’Brien said his focus is on strengthening community resilience and supporting the continued sense of unity that is evident here in this community.
“It is important that the community itself works together and decide on the way forward,” he said.
“The Creeslough Together Initiative team, made up of local people, informed by the community and community organisations, are gently leading the way for the people of Creeslough and all those affected by the tragedy.”
The Minister concluded: “It is an honour for me to stand before you as we come together here in this Community Hub, to remember those families who have lost loved ones and to those families who lives were changed forever through injury. I have witnessed first-hand, the spirit, the resilience and the unity that exists in your community, I hope together you can rebuild a community that thrives on love, compassion and shared memories.”
Minister O’Brien unveiled the plaque naming the Hub; “Creeslough Community Links Hub”.
In the meantime, Donegal County Council is currently working on a major community regeneration project in Creeslough, including a new community centre, gym, sports field, multi-use games area. The hub will be located at ‘the field’ behind St. Michael’s Parish Church, offering views of Muckish mountain.
The overall goal of the project is to provide a place for health, wellbeing and social services to support healing and renewal in the bereaved community.
The ten victims of the explosion remain in the hearts and minds of all: five-year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe and her dad Robert Garwe, 50, Catherine O’Donnell, 39, and her son James Monaghan, 13, Leona Harper, 14, Jessica Gallagher, 24, James O’Flaherty, 48, Martin McGill, 49, Martina Martin, 49 and Hugh Kelly, 59.
