'Tonight is not about past memory, but a memory that makes our loved ones present'

Three years to the day from the Creeslough tragedy that claimed the lives of 10 people, the community came together to remember their loved ones and heard a message of hope.

A commemoration service took place at the site of the explosion at 3pm, as the tragedy occurred at 3:17pm on October 7, 2022.

An explosion at the local service station claimed the lives of five-year-old Shauna Flanagan-Garwe and her father, Robert Garwe (50), Catherine O’Donnell (39) and her 13-year-old son, James Monaghan.

Leona Harper, aged 14, and Jessica Gallagher (24) were killed along with shop assistant Martina Martin (49), James O’Flaherty (48), Martin McGill (49) and Hugh Kelly (59).

Fr John Joe Duffy then led the evening remembrance at St Michael’s Church in Creeslough, with the local children from Scoil Mhuire providing the choir. They were joined by Fr Seán O'Gallchóir, retired PP Gaortahork; Donal Sweeney, Ards; Fr Seamus Murphy, who served in six parishes across the Diocese of Westminster, before retiring to Creeslough; Martin Doohan, Dunfanaghy and Canon David Skuce, Dunfanaghy.

“They accomplished much in their lives, some of them in a very short period of time,” Fr Duffy said. “We thank God for the gift they were to those who knew them and those who loved them. May they rest in peace. I would also like to offer a prayer for those who were injured on the day three years ago. Thanks to those who have travelled, who bring a great sense of consolation.

“When you look around the world and wonder sometimes where there is hope. Hope is seriously struggling to come to the fore in some parts of the world. We also see people who walk with others. People in the most troubled parts of the world, walking with and aid those who are facing great difficulties.

“We are people of hope. We gather in hope this evening that the sun will shine through that fog of grief. Just as the sun shone today up at the site, at the end of the service, when [local musician] Matt McGranaghan finished his wonderful musical piece, when the birds came out singing, as if to accompany that piece.

“Tonight is not about past memory, but rather a memory that makes our loved ones present to us. Present to us in a very unified way that we are united with those who have gone ahead of us.

“We pray for them and are uniting ourselves with them in spiritual unity, in solidarity with those who have gone ahead of us. In a very special way. Death is merely the passageway to eternal life to be with god and those who have gone ahead. They have not left us. We will meet them once again. I pray that God will give you consolation, difficult as grief is, your loved ones are very much in his safe keeping.”

Among the congregation were families of the 48 young people died in a fire in the Stardust nightclub in Artane, north Dublin on St Valentine's night in 1981.

“We pray for those who travelled from Dublin who lost their loved ones in the Stardust tragedy,” Fr Duffy said.

The Burtonport native continued: “I come from a fishing area. Very often, out on a boat, fog can rise and fog can be difficult to see through. But the fog does lift and clear away. It is very challenging to be out on a boat in fog. There are many risks, and you need to know your direction. The same happens to us in grief.

“Dear friends, if it weren’t for a navigator, then the boat would have great difficulty in knowing what direction to take. Without the radar, the fog would run around. It’s the same for us with grief.

“Speak to people when you experience grief or trauma in life. Speak to those, a family member or friends, also to reach out to speak to those we can find through GP practices, our first port of call.

“Otherwise, we continue to be in the thick of that fog. It’s not that it will be magically lifted or blown away. Speaking will help us guide a course through the grief and the trauma. It’s true for all of us.”

The investigation into the Creeslough tragedy remains ongoing, and a primary investigation file has been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions. So far, the investigation has generated over 1500 jobs, 1000 statements and 750 reports. Seven arrests have been made, six male and one female.