Public consultation event to be held in Creeslough to map the way forward after tragedy

A public consultation event to share proposals currently being put together by a group established in the aftermath of the Creeslough tragedy is to take place shortly.

The Working Group was established in November by Donegal County Council following the explosion at the Applegreen Service Station in the village which claimed 10 lives on October 7.

It was set up to bring forward and advance projects and interventions to assist the local community on their journey of healing and renewal. It is to consult extensively with all groups and individuals within the community and bring forward an agreed action plan for implementation on a prioritised and phased basis.

The group also plan to engage with relevant government departments and other funding bodies to seek the necessary resources to implement the agreed plan.

Membership

The membership of the group is made up of nominees selected by the council's chief executive John McLaughlin and they are Liam Ward, director of services who is its chairman; Paul Kelly, senior executive planner and Aideen Doherty, area manager.

They are joined by local councillors from the Glenties Municipal District: Cllr Noreen McGarvey, Cllr Micheál McClafferty and Cllr John Sheamais O’Fearraigh as well as council cathaoirleach, Cllr Liam Blaney.

The nominees from the Creeslough community are local curate Fr John Joe Duffy, Yvonne McGuinness, Lorcan Roarty and Stephen Doak

At Monday's meeting of the council in Lifford Mr McLaughlin said there had already been two Working Group meetings since the November 2022 council meeting with a further meeting planned for Friday, February 17.

He said their work was ongoing in a progressive and positive manner and a strong basis and structure has been agreed upon to advance the various elements of the work.

"It is proposed that a public consultation event will take place in Creeslough following the meeting on February 17 to share the proposals emerging to date and to seek the wider endorsement of the community at an early stage of the work."

At the same meeting, Mr McLaughlin also said they wanted to publicly acknowledge and thank the many people who signed the books of condolence as well as the many letters they had received from individuals, other councils and people all around the world following the tragedy.

"We are hoping to put these in Creeslough in the long term after we decide how we best respect Creeslough in the project we are working on as a council."

Cathaoirleach Cllr Blaney added that if any councillor had letters or messages from any of the bodies they were on, they could if they wished, forward them to the chief executive's office for inclusion