Justice Minister ‘happy to meet’ Creeslough families

The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, has said she will meet with the families of the 10 people who died in the 2022 Creeslough explosion.

Last week, a solicitor acting for several of the bereaved families called for a public inquiry and Minister McEntee says it is important that they get answers. 

Darragh Mackin, of Phoenix Law, wrote to Minister McEntee formally requesting that a public inquiry or commission of investigation be established.

The Minister has vowed to sit down with the grief-stricken families, who are demanding answers into the cause of the horrific blast at the Applegreen service station on October 7, 2022.

“Minister McEntee has said she is happy to meet the families and that it is important they get the answers they need in relation to what was a national tragedy,” a spokesperson for Minister McEntee told Donegal Live. 

“It is also important that the Garda investigation, the HSA (Health and Safety Authority) investigation and the CRU (Commission for Regulation of Utilities) investigation complete their work.”

Mr Mackin represents the next of kin of Catherine O’Donnell, James Monaghan, Robert Garwe, Shauna Flanagan-Garwe, Jessica Gallagher, Martina Martin and Leona Harper.

The families have said that they expect to meet with the Minister “at some stage in the weeks ahead”.

An Garda Siochana is continuing its probe into the blast.

Over 1,350 lines of enquiry have been followed and over 900 statements taken. Four persons have been arrested and released without charge as part of the Garda investigation.

A file is said to be nearing completion and that will be handed over to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Last week, Minister McEntee said “None of us want to do anything that would jeopardise that, but I am open, as is the Government, to looking to see what more perhaps may be needed, and I think that is the important thing here. What would an investigation or inquiry achieve, what is the intention behind it, what is it that families need to know, separate to the investigation that is taking place?”

Ann Marie Boyle, who lost her sister Catherine O’Donnell and nephew James Monagan in the explosion, said: “What we are asking is the Minister to come to Donegal and help us families.

“The Stardust families waited for 40 years before they got any proper answers. We can’t be left to wait for 40 years for answers.

“We just want to know what happened, how it happened and why it happened.”