Donegal County Council to seek acquisition of Creeslough explosion site

Donegal County Council will seek to acquire the site of the Creeslough explosion, where 10 people tragically lost their lives in 2022.

A liaison officer will be appointed to stay in regular contact with the families of those who died on October 7, 2022.

The suggestion for a special liaison officer to keep in regular contact with the Creeslough families was put forward by Cllr Gerry McMonagle of Letterkenny-Milford MD.

Cllr McMonagle said a liaison officer would help keep the families up to date with any developments on the site and “assure them their loved ones are not forgotten about”. His motion was seconded by Cllr Declan Meehan.

Members of the bereaved families were present in the council chamber in Lifford ahead of the third anniversary of the tragedy. They joined Cllr Tomás Seán Devine of Letterkenny-Milford MD, who proposed a motion calling on the council to acquire the Creeslough site by way of negotiation with the owner or by Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO).

Cllr Devine’s motion was again proposed after being deferred in the July council meeting, with a counter-motion to hold a workshop with the families on the site’s future having been adopted instead. Cllr Devine had initially proposed that the council could turn the site into a memorial garden.

Cllr Devine expressed his dissatisfaction that the workshop had not taken place before the September meeting. He also told the council that the families did not accept any other location to have a memorial for their loved ones.

Cllr Devine’s motion was seconded by Cllr Denis McGee of Glenties MD.

The Council informed that the workshop is due to take place on October 20. Mr Liam Ward, Director of Community Development & Planning Services, acknowledged the presence of the families in the chamber. He reiterated the council’s previous response to Cllr Devine’s motion.

“We’re very much aware of the ongoing grief,” said Mr Ward. “The detailed reply was shared again today, within that remains the position. The reply went to some length to set out why Donegal County Council would not be acquiring the site.”

He said that Donegal County Council had responded directly to family members’ emails and met with the families, “offering them an opportunity to meet to discuss the Council led project and an appropriate acknowledgement / memorial to their loved ones within the overall site of the new Regeneration project”.

“I appreciate how sensitive this is and how very difficult this is,” he added.

Mr John McLaughlin, Chief Executive, said: “We have to think long term and what is the right way to work together to get a long-term pathway, which has to be about working together.”

He said that any negotiations about the site would need to involve the landowner.

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After a brief adjournment and Cllr McMonagle’s suggestion of a special liaison officer, both motions were passed.

Those who died in the Creeslough explosion 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 14-year-old Leona Harper.