Several families of those who died in the Creeslough explosion two years ago have met Ireland’s Justice Minister to press their case for a public inquiry.
Four men, three women and three children, ranging in age from five to 59, died in the blast that ripped through the Co Donegal village’s Applegreen service station and a nearby apartment block on Friday October 7 2022.
While Gardai continue to investigate the circumstances of the explosion, families of those who died have called for an inquiry into non-criminal factors of the blast.
The families met Helen McEntee at Government Buildings in Dublin as well as ministers Charlie McConalogue and Eamon Ryan.
Speaking after the meeting, which lasted an hour and a half, the families said the engagement was “very successful”.
Hugh Harper, whose 14-year-old daughter Leona was killed in the explosion, said the three ministers “took on board all our concerns” and that he felt “a step closer” to the truth.
A solicitor involved in the campaign for an inquiry, Darragh Mackin, said: “The question these families ask themselves is, had this happened in Dublin would they be here two years later asking for an investigation?
“The key point of today is this: the minister has not ruled anything out. We now look forward to a decision because the reality is this: time is of the essence. An election is pending and these families don’t have time to give, they want a decision and they want a decision now.”
Another solicitor involved in the campaign, Damien Tansey, said: “It warrants, at the very minimum, an inquiry of a kind that will produce appropriate answers, because at the moment, more than two years after the tragedy, there is a vacuum in terms of information, and the bereaved and the countless number of people who were injured have no answers.
“They don’t know what’s going on.
“And given the scale of this tragedy, it warrants a statutory inquiry that will be run under the chairmanship of a sitting judge or a retired high court judge, who will have the power to summons witnesses, take evidence under oath, make findings of fact, make adverse findings, and resolve conflict where there are opposing accounts of the same events.”
Mr Tansey said the need for an inquiry was “extremely urgent” given there was a planning application before councillors in Donegal in respect of a proposed redevelopment of the explosion site.
He said the families did not want the site touched until an inquiry completed its work.
The solicitor told reporters that Ms McEntee said to relatives that the Garda investigation was due to conclude in the first quarter of next year.
While the cause of the explosion has yet to be formally confirmed by the authorities, it is understood a gas leak is considered a central line of inquiry.
Those who died were Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe; Catherine O’Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan; fashion student Jessica Gallagher; Celtic fan Martin McGill; James O’Flaherty from Sydney; shop worker Martina Martin; carpenter Hugh “Hughie” Kelly; and Leona Harper.
Mr Harper said they had gone through “a living nightmare” since losing their daughter in the explosion.
“Every day we live with this,” Mr Harper said. “There’s more to this story than what meets the eye and for us to grieve properly, for us to make any attempt to move forward, we need all the answers.”
Mr Harper said it was difficult to put his grief into words.
“We’re coming into Halloween, one of Leona’s favourite times of year, and then coming into Christmas where we have an empty chair again at the Christmas table.
“Where we’re going to spend nearly all day at her graveside, to leave her graveside and go home without her again.”
Mr Harper added: “Today is definitely a step closer with people in that room being able to have their voices heard, their stories told.”
Shauna Gallagher, sister of Jessica Gallagher, said they had a “very successful” meeting with the ministers and that “nothing has been ruled out in relation to any further investigation”.
“It would answer the questions that we all have, it will answer the questions as to why this has happened.
“The criminal investigation will discuss, yes, what criminal activity, if any was involved. But that doesn’t answer the questions that we have as to why our loved ones are no longer here, or why people have been injured so severely and are no longer living the lives they lived before.
“We can try our very best to put our lives back together and continue as much as we can. But like, how could you, how could any of us standing here today answer that question, without the necessary information?
“There’s so many rumours, there’s so many lies going around that isn’t true and without truth, that’s what will happen. The rumour mill will continue to turn until we have those answers.”
Aine Flanagan, who lost her five-year-old daughter Shauna in the explosion, said the meeting was “very positive”.
“It’s just heartbreaking. I miss Shauna, she was only five years old, I miss Bob terribly, and I just hope there will be a really positive outcome with Minister McEntee and we’ll get answers, and there will be hopefully, as time goes on, that there will be an inquiry.”
In a statement, the Government said the three ministers listened to the personal stories of the Creeslough families and others affected by the tragedy.
“It is important that Government heard first-hand the experiences of the Creeslough community,” it said.
“The ministers communicated to those present the strong desire of Government that families get the answers they need in relation to the loss of their loved ones in what was a national tragedy.
“While the ministers did not rule out a public inquiry it is important that the Garda investigation, the HSA investigation and the CRU investigation complete their work.”
