A family devastated by a “ball of fire” that killed five people 40 years ago has appealed that lives should not be threatened by vital water supplies for the Fire Service, writes Sean Murphy.
Four young children, all brothers and sisters aged under 14, and their babysitter died in the fire at a terraced house in the Ard O’Donnell area of Letterkenny on April 26, 1986.
The blaze is remembered as one of the worst in Donegal’s largest town and will be the focus this weekend of a special Mass and concert in honour of the five.
The victims were Sharon O’Donnell (14) and her younger siblings Joanne (12), Adrian (4), and 20-month-old toddler Kevin, plus their babysitter Noreen O’Donnell (25), from Ballybofey.
Heartbroken
The children’s heartbroken parents Angela and Joe have now spoken of their unimaginable loss and highlighted concerns about water access for fire crews.
They have spoken of how water shortages were a problem then, and fear the issue remains the same today.
“You wonder what might have been. That never leaves you. You wonder what they might look like.”
Angela told the Donegal News: “When the Fire Brigade arrived, there were water problems.
“We didn’t see it ourselves but there was a priest, Fr Ambrose O’Gorman, who has since passed on, and he said to us, ‘If you want a witness of what came out of the fire hydrant, I’ll be your witness. Nothing came out (of the hydrant) but muck’.
“There were always water shortages. I had campaigned, tried to get signatures, because there wasn’t a full day when we didn’t have a water shortage at some stage.
“Strangely enough, a water reservoir was built at the back of the house after the fire. Too little, too late. That made me angry. But I am glad it’s there.
“What if a school goes on fire or a hospital goes on fire? What happens if there’s no water? How many lives are going to be lost?
“The council is in control of this, I don’t have any control of that. I do worry about it.
“We’ve had rain for a full month. There should be no water shortage in Ireland. It’s one of those things. We never pursued it. What’s the point? It wasn’t going to bring the children back.”
Only Joe, Angela, and three children escaped the fire in 1986. At the time, the kids were Philip (13), Patrick (8) and Joe Joe (5).
Angela with Philip, Sharon, Joanne and Joe Joe.
Philip ran outside to get a hose, but the fire spread rapidly. Patrick had learned during lifesaving classes at the pool to get low to the ground to avoid the smoke.
He told Joe Joe to grab his feet and the two young brothers crawled out together.
An eighth child, a daughter who Angela and Joe named Noreen after their children’s babysitter, was born a year after the tragedy.
Terror
Joe revealed the terror of the fire and how the flames engulfed the family home in a “ball of fire” 40 years ago.
He told the Donegal News: “The first alarm we heard was hearing [babysitter] Noreen shout, ‘There’s a fire downstairs.’
“I ran down the stairs. There was no way of getting into the living room because of the fire.
“Noreen went up the stairs and didn’t get back down again. That’s how it unfolded.
“At that time, we didn’t know who was saved. We discovered that Joe Joe was out and was across the road. We had three saved in all.
“We couldn’t get back in. It was a ball of fire, so we couldn’t get through.
“We tried to get through next door and we couldn’t get round the back quickly because it was a row of terraced houses.”
Photograph
Angela added: “The Chief Fire Officer at the time was at the scene because he was collecting a neighbour to go golfing.
“He came to the house and said no-one was allowed into the house. Then the Fire Brigade arrived. Joe wanted to go back in, but there was no going back in.”
Angela shed tears as she remembered her children and said: “We have a photograph of all the (first seven) children above the mantlepiece.
“It was taken a week before the fire. Joanne and Philip both made their Confirmation on the one day.
“We never had a full family photograph taken up to that point, so we had that taken at the Confirmation.
“Thank God we did because it’s very special to have it, to have them all together. It certainly has pride of place.
“Sharon was the mother, she was the second mother to the little ones. She always had a baby on her arms or hip.
Angela with Adrian and Joe Joe.
“We were able to go to Mass on a Sunday and would come back and the baby would be in bed and the dinner would be on the table. She cooked Sunday dinner every week. She was only 14.
“We had a glass door from the sitting room into the hallway. When Sharon was going to bed, she put her face to the glass door and said, ‘Mammy, don’t waken me early in the morning.’ That was the last thing she said.
“Joanne was a lady. She always had her head in a book, while the two wee boys (Adrian and Kevin) weren’t as well known by other people.
“No-one outside of the family really got to know them. Everybody knew Sharon and Joanne because they were older. Joanne was quieter.
“Kevin was only 20 months and Adrian, who was four, hadn’t even started school. They are all together now.
“It might sound terrible, but I’m glad that Sharon is there with them. It’s still hard.”
One regret
She added: “One regret I have is that the funerals came too quickly.
“The fire was on Saturday and the children were buried on Monday.
“Now, anybody who loses a child, I tell them to wait, especially after a sudden death.
“You are in autopilot, get an extra day. But that’s just the way it was at the time.”
Joe said: “The family photo above the mantlepiece is the only photo of the whole family. It was taken a week before [the fire]. It is the only one that we have of all the family together.”
Angela added: “Noreen (the children’s babysitter) came over every weekend, every Friday night. She was friendly with Sharon and Joanne.
“Her boyfriend was working for Joe at the time. She would stay until Sunday and loved make-up and shopping.
“Noreen went upstairs [on the morning of the fire] to the children and never made it back down again. She didn’t want to leave the children.
“She was a lovely girl. Her family, including her father and sister, are coming to the Mass.
“We called our daughter Noreen, who was born a year after the fire, in memory of Noreen. It wasn’t a hard decision. Picking her name was easy. It felt right.”
Angela O’Donnell with her son Philip pictured with brother-in-law Paddy Rooney and daughter Linda who flew in from Long Island this week to be part of the 40th anniversary events this weekend.
The Mass is to be held at St Eunan’s Cathedral this Saturday, April 25, at 4pm while the concert is scheduled for the cathedral from 3pm on Sunday.
Joe said: “It will be emotional, but any day can be emotional. It may not even be the days that you are expecting.
“All of a sudden, some days can be harder than others. You don’t get over it, but you try to learn to live with it.
“We’re very lucky that Noreen was born afterwards. She gave us a lot of joy and all our children and grandchildren give us joy every day.”
Angela added: “Everyone is welcome to come along to the Mass and the concert.
“There will be a retiring collection, which was organised by the committee that arranged the Mass and concert, and all the monies donated will be given to
Father (Kevin) Gillespie towards the cost of repainting at the cathedral. The money is going to the parish.
Memory
“Our son Philip mooted this idea last September, suggested doing something in their memory because nothing like this had been done before.
“He took it upon himself and then [several local people] formed a wee committee and organised everything as a tribute.
“We would have a Mass every year, but we knew that this would be a bigger event.
“A lot of Sharon’s and Joanne’s friends are coming for the 40th anniversary, so we decided to go with a Mass and concert, both in the cathedral, and then people are invited to the girls’ school for a cup of tea.
“Every year is emotional. Sometimes, you just hear a song or see a friend and that can bring things back.
“The pain is always there, first thing in the morning, and last thing at night.
“Sometimes I stand and talk to the (children) when I am looking at their pictures on the wall. But that’s natural.”
Wonder
As the anniversaries have come over the years, Angela has spoken about her children.
In 2016 on the 30th anniversary, she said: “You wonder what might have been. That never leaves you. You wonder what they might look like.
“You wonder what the boys would be doing. All these things go through your head.”
Letterkenny priest, Fr John Joe Duffy, who is a cousin of the deceased children’s father Joe,
will celebrate the Mass on Saturday.
The musical tribute concert the following day will feature Margo, Shunie Crampsie, Sinead and Alex Black, Kyra and Joe Joe O’Donnell and Ruairi Gallagher, plus local choirs.
Some of the children’s personal items, such as Kevin’s teddy bear, Adrian’s ET toy, and the girls’ notebooks, will be carried forward during the Mass.
Angela said: “Everyone is welcome. I just hope that everything goes well and people enjoy it.”
Joe and Angela O’Donnell with the treasured portrait by photographer Dermot O Donohoe which was taken a few weeks before the tragedy.
Donegal County Council, Donegal Fire Service, and Uisce Eireann (Irish Water) were this week all contacted by the Donegal News and asked to comment on the availability of a viable emergency water supply for the Fire Service in Letterkenny.
A Council spokesperson said: “The upkeep and maintenance of fire hydrants are an operational matter for Uisce Éireann. It should be noted that the provision and maintenance of fire hydrants on private property or private housing estates is the responsibility of the property owner.
“Donegal County Council Fire Brigades carry out a cyclic programme of hydrant inspections in the brigades operational area. Defects in hydrants are reported using a pro forma that is completed at the time of inspection, the pro forma is forwarded to a nominated person in Usice Éireann for follow up action.
“Donegal County Council Fire Service have two water tankers at their disposal located strategically in the county. NDFEM funding has been approved for the construction of third water tanker.
“Water tankers are strategically located to serve the county in its entirety.”
A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann told the Donegal News: “Firefighting water requirements are assessed and specified by the Local Authority Fire Service.