Hundreds of people will attend remembrance ceremonies in Creeslough and beyond today, two years to the day of the horrific explosion that killed 10 people in the Donegal village.
At 3:17pm on October 7th, 2022, an explosion rocked the Applegreen service station and apartment complex, changing lives forever.
Two years on, St Michael’s Church in Creeslough will see ten tolls of its bell today at 3:17pm to remember the victims; Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe; Catherine O’Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan; Jessica Gallagher; Martin McGill; James O’Flaherty; Martina Martin; Hugh Kelly; and 14-year-old Leona Harper.
It’s understood that relatives of the victims will gather at the site of the service station to mark the anniversary this afternoon, and local Creeslough parish priest, Fr John Joe Duffy, has called on everyone to pause at 3:17pm to remember the victims also.
“St Michael’s Church invites everyone to join with us in remembering and praying for those that are bereaved and impacted by this tragedy,” Fr Duffy said.
“Your unity with us can be done from your own homes on Monday at 3.17pm, by joining with us in silent prayer for those who tragically died, for their loved ones, for their families and for their friends and our wider communities.
“I also ask you to keep in prayer those who were injured in the Creeslough tragedy, those affected by it in anyway, for those who lost their homes.
“The journey of healing will continue and we remain strong for one another.”
A remembrance service will also be held at St Michael’s Church, Creeslough this evening at 7pm.
Following the service, there will be a gathering at the Creeslough Community Hub for refreshments, where people are invited to meet, share memories and support one another.
The Creeslough Community Association encourages people to avail of free counselling from a range of support services, such as the Pastoral Centre, HSE Support Line, and Donegal Parent & Family Support Services.
Gardaí in Donegal also encourage people to reach out for support on this anniversary.
A spokesperson said: “Our thoughts and prayers are very much with the Creeslough community today. Should anybody need our support, please do not hesitate to contact us. We can provide you with details of support services if needed. Know that we are here for you.”
For the families, the healing journey for many has been hampered by their search for answers.
The two-year investigation into the explosion has yielded no public explanation for the cause, with more than 1,000 lines of enquiry followed by gardaí.
A total of four people were arrested in connection with the incident this year and released without charge.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has confirmed that a file of investigation into the Creeslough explosion is nearing completion and that gardaí are almost ready to submit a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
With no answers for two years, families of seven of the victims raised the call for a public inquiry, saying they do not want to end up in the same situation as the Stardust families.
Writing to Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, the families said they said that the second greatest tragedy of the explosion is the absence of the truth and lessons learned.
Acknowledging that the gardaí are limited in their scope of inquiry, they said there are “wider issues of preventability” relating to the Creeslough explosion which will inevitably fall outside the Garda investigation. They also pointed out that it is not the role of gardaí to make recommendations to ensure an atrocity such as this never happens again.
Responding, Minister McEntee said the garda investigation must be allowed to take its course, adding “we need to know what an investigation would do, what information it is the families need, and in that regard, I absolutely believe the families need to be listened to”.