Family photoA sister of one of the 10 people killed in the Creeslough explosion has said victims’ families have been “left in the dark” about what caused it nearly three years on.
No official explanation has been given for the blast which ripped through a service station in the County Donegal village on 7 October 2022.
Jessica Gallagher, a 24-year-old fashion graduate, was among those who died and her older sister Lisa Gallagher said bereaved relatives need answers.
“No one seems to be willing to help us to find out why our family members and our loved ones are dead,” she told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.
“It’s not just for me, for my family… it’s for the entire Creeslough community,” Lisa Gallagher added.
“The entire country deserves to know what has happened so it doesn’t happen again.”
A criminal investigation into the explosion is being carried out by Gardaí (Irish police) which is being led by officers based in County Donegal.
So far, five arrests have been made but each time those detained were released without charge.
A garda spokesman told BBC News NI that the investigation is “ongoing with the intention of submitting a file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions”.
He added they had “no further comment at this time”.
‘Answers help you have some sort of closure’
PA MediaMs Gallagher said it was difficult for families like hers to grieve when they still did not know what led to the explosion.
“Answers help you have some sort of closure and help you move on, even a wee bit,” she said.
Her younger sister had been visiting her boyfriend in his apartment above the service station when the blast happened.
The couple had been out celebrating, just days before Jessica was due to start a new job as a fashion designer in Belfast.
“Jessica was a live wire,” Ms Gallagher recalled.
“She was smart and funny and friends with everyone. She was so creative.”
The talented student had previously attended the International Fashion Academy (IFA) in Paris and had also studied fashion in Shanghai, China.
In the hours before the blast she had shared a celebratory meal out with her boyfriend, ahead of her move to Northern Ireland.
He was critically injured in the explosion and was airlifted to hospital.
Family photoMs Gallagher called on the Irish Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, and gardaí to provide the victims with an explanation for the tragedy.
“It very disappointing that we’re still being left three years later and a minister seems like they’re washing their hands [off it] when it is their responsibility to give us answers,” she said.
“We need political will to help us,” she said. “We need senior gardaí to get a push on this as well.”
She suggested the new Garda Commissioner, Justin Kelly, could “make an impact” in his role by getting information for the families.
A spokesperson for Mr O’Callaghan told RTÉ that the minister’s thoughts were with the victims but he could not comment in detail because there was an ongoing criminal investigation.
Who were the Creeslough victims?
The 10 victims of the explosion included four men, three women, two teenagers and a five-year-old girl – all from the village or surrounding areas.
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; Jessica Gallagher; Martin McGill; James O’Flaherty; Martina Martin; Hugh Kelly; and 14-year-old Leona Harper.
Earlier this year, some of the relatives objected to a proposal to build a new petrol station with a shop and post office at the explosion site.
Their lawyer argued it was “deeply inappropriate” given the ongoing criminal investigation.
In June, an Coimisiún Pleanála (the Irish planning commission) refused permission for the development, following the families’ appeal.
Last year, Donegal County Council passed a motion calling on the government to establish a public inquiry into the Creeslough explosion.
