TAOISEACH Micheal Martin has agreed to meet the devastated Creeslough families in their campaign for a public inquiry.
The possibility of a State inquest, like the Stardust inquest, about the 10 Creeslough victims’ tragic deaths has also been suggested.
Both developments emerged today when the relatives took their campaign for truth and answers to Dublin.
The explosion in Creeslough nearly four years ago killed 10 victims aged from five to 59 on October 7, 2022.
The Taoiseach agreed to meet the families after they went to Leinster House, which is the parliament building in Dublin, and told TDs and Senators of concerns about the criminal investigation.
The 10 victims who tragically lost their lives in the explosion.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald highlighted the families’ campaign during yesterday’s Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil.
She said: “Taoiseach, the families of those killed and injured at Creeslough will bring their fight for answers to the Dáil.
“I think every one of us remembers that fateful Friday afternoon in October in 2022.
“We remember the reports of an explosion at an Apple Green Service Station and apartments in the small Donegal village.
“How that shock later turned to disbelief as we learned that the explosion had claimed the lives of 10 people.”
Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald and local representatives met in March past with families of those who lost their lives and those who were injured in the Creeslough tragedy.
Deputy McDonald said today after Leaders’ Questions: “I welcome that the Taoiseach has agreed to my request for him to meet the families.
“They have been waiting nearly four years for the full truth about the deaths of their loved ones. This will be an important meeting and hopefully a positive step towards the families getting answers.
“We fully support their call on the Government to establish a public inquiry into the explosion.
“Such an inquiry can take place without compromising the criminal investigation or the pursuit of justice in open court.”
PUBLIC INQUIRY NEEDED
She added: “The families are clear. They are concerned that the full circumstances of the disaster may never be established without a public inquiry.
“They need answers to their questions. What exactly happened? How did it happen? Could it have been prevented?
“Four years is a long time for heartbroken families to wait for answers. They have had to fight for every inch of progress. They have demonstrated incredible dignity, resilience and strength.
“In his meeting with the families in April, Minister O’Callaghan confirmed that he will consider holding an inquest, similar to Stardust.
“The Taoiseach must use the opportunity of the meeting to make clear to the families what the government intends to do to ensure they get the truth about what happened to their loved ones.”
Speaking ahead of the event, family members told the Donegal News that they have been left “in limbo”.
Some 48 people tragically died in February 1981 because of a fire at the Stardast nightclub St Valentine’s disco. An inquest was held from April 2023 to April 2024.
The 10 Creeslough victims were: James O’Flaherty (48), Jessica Gallagher (24), Martin McGill (49), Catherine O’Donnell (39) and her son James Monaghan (13), Hugh Kelly (59), Martina Martin (49), Robert Garwe (50), Shauna Flanagan Garwe (5) and Leona Harper (14).
Meanwhile, local families have asked to highlight that a special anniversary Mass is due in Creeslough to mark the 50th anniversary of a 1976 tragic collision.
Martin McElhinney from Rooskey, Creeslough; Nora Gallagher, Devlin; and Willie Cannon, from Carrowcannon in Falcarragh, all died in a collision in Creeslough on June 17, 1976.
This Friday, June 19, at 7.30pm, Fr John Joe Duffy will celebrate Mass in St Michael’s Church for the 50th anniversary.