Culture
04 Oct 23

Memorial service scheduled to commemorate the first anniversary of the Creeslough explosion

Editorial Photos of the Year - October 2022. Undated handout photos issued by An Garda Siochana of (top row, left to right) Leona Harper, 14, Robert Garwe, 50, Shauna Flanagan Garwe, five, Jessica Gallagher, 24, and James O'Flaherty, 48, and (bottom row, left to right) Martina Martin, 49, Hugh Kelly, 59, Catherine O'Donnell, 39, her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, and Martin McGill, 49, the ten victims of explosion at Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday.

Ali Toohey

The memorial will be held on Saturday, October 7.

The commemoration for those who were lost to the incident will take place this weekend to mark the first anniversary of the explosion in the village of Creeslough in Co. Donegal.

Ten people, including three children, were killed in the accident at the Applegreen service station in Creeslough on 7 October, 2022.

The 10 people who sadly passed in the explosion were: Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe; Jessica Gallagher; Martin McGill; Sydney native James O’Flaherty; Catherine O’Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan; shop worker Martina Martin; 14-year-old Leona Harper; and Hugh Kelly.

The memorial service and commemoration will take place where the tragedy happened on Saturday, October 7 at 3pm followed by a Mass in the local church on Saturday evening at 7.30pm.

In a statement posted by St. Michael's Church, it was announced that the Mass would be held to offer prayers for those who were injured and to express gratitude towards all the responders to the tragedy as well as a remembrance to those died.

"The people of the parish, surrounding areas and all associated with the Creeslough tragedy, family, friends, colleagues and neighbours and those who responded then and over the last year are very welcome to attend the first year anniversary memorial service and commemoration for those who lost their lives on Oct 7th last."

The church continued to described events this coming week as an opportunity for “our communities and for those who responded to privately gather to pray and remember their loved ones”.