Creeslough 'living through a nightmare of shock and horror'; 10 victims named 

The people of Creeslough in Co Donegal are “living through a nightmare of shock and horror”, a bishop has said after a devastating explosion at a petrol station killed 10 people.

A five-year-old girl and her father, and a woman and her teenage son, have been named among the victims of the blast, while a man in his 20s remains in a critical condition.

The seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in hospital and remain in a stable condition.

Those who died were 48-year-old James O’Flaherty, 24-year-old Jessica Gallagher, 49-year-old Martin McGill, 39-year-old Catherine O’Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, 59-year-old Hugh Kelly, 49-year-old Martina Martin, 50-year-old Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, and 14-year-old Leona Harper.

Speaking at Sunday mass in the village’s St Michael’s Church, Bishop of Raphoe Alan McGuckian said: “At this time, you, the people of Creeslough, are living through a nightmare of shock and horror since the very heart of the community was deeply wounded on Friday afternoon.

“It’s an experience that we are living through together. But we recognise that the trauma is different for every single individual. We hold in our hearts most especially those for whom this is most acute.

“We think firstly of the 10 who have lost their lives and gone to God, and then of those nearest to them who are most cruelly bereaved.

“And then we think of the injured, struggling to recover in body and spirit. We think of everyone, both from the community and the first responders in the public services who have carried the burden of being close to the tragedy as it has unfolded.

“And we remember everyone here in Creeslough, and indeed throughout Ireland and further, who feels helpless and shaken by what has happened.” 

He spoke about the randomness of the tragedy and the upset caused by seeing what can happen in life.

“Over the last couple of days as people gathered in groups to talk about what has happened here these last days, the one word that stands out for me in relation to the explosion is something somebody said.

“It is so random, they said. And what she was referring to was, anybody could have been caught up in that. There’s something deeply shocking and upsetting about what life throws up, can throw up.

“We ask why did it have to happen here, to this person, that person, why did they have to be there at that awful moment?

“The bereaved and the injured have to carry the awful insecurity of that question. Others of us could easily carry a certain sense of guilt.

“Why was it them and not me who was hit by the randomness of this tragedy? There is fundamentally a terrible realisation that we are not masters of our own destiny.

“We are very fragile, all of us, fragile and vulnerable.” 

Ten red candles sat flickering at the front of the altar during the mass.