‘It shows how fragile life is’: The 10 victims of the Creeslough explosion

Among the victims of Friday’s explosion in Creeslough was an engineer originally from Australia, a fashion graduate about to start a job in Belfast, a teenager picking out an ice cream and a little girl buying a birthday cake for her mother. Their ages ranged from five to 59 — some 350 years of life in all, taken in an instant.

Jessica Gallagher

Jessica Gallagher (24) was a fashion and marketing graduate from the International Fashion Academy in Paris and had also studied in a fashion design college in Shanghai, China. She had recently taken up a job as a fashion designer in Belfast, which she was due to start on Monday.

The daughter of Bernadette and Anthony Gallagher, Jessica was above the Applegreen shop in an apartment owned by her boyfriend, Conor McFadden, at the time of the explosion. It was one of the apartments adjoined to the Creeslough service station.

Conor suffered severe burns and was rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital before being airlifted to St James’s Hospital in Dublin, where he remains in a critical condition. Seven others are being treated for their injuries.

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Jessica had previously worked as a receptionist at the Shandon Hotel in nearby Dunfanaghy where she had met her boyfriend.

Jessica’s uncle John Shanahan told The Irish Times that his niece was “just starting off” in her career “with everything ahead of her”.

“It is dreadful; it is just so random. It shows how fragile life is,” he said.

James O’Flaherty

Originally from Sydney in Australia, James O’Flaherty (48), a father, had been living in the coastal village of Dunfanaghy near Creeslough in recent years. He worked as an engineer at a US-based multinational on big projects around the globe. Based in Donegal, he previously worked internationally, in Australia, France, the UK and the US.

He was a business graduate of the University of Tasmania and a graduate of software engineering at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

A death notice said Mr O’Flaherty was survived by his wife Tracey, son Hamish and brother John, as well as other extended family. He was predeceased by his parents, Brendan and Stella O’Flaherty. His funeral Mass is to take place at St Mary’s Church, Derrybeg, on Wednesday at 11am.

Martina Martin

Martina Martin (49), better known as Tina, lived in the Woodlands area of Letterkenny, Co Donegal. The mother-of-four worked in the shop at the Applegreen service station in Creeslough.

She also worked at a pharmacy in Ballyraine in Letterkenny where she was remembered with affection for her friendly and chatty nature, and her kindness in helping customers. She was a member of the well-known Russell family from Letterkenny.

Catherine O’Donnell

Catherine O’Donnell (39) was from Creeslough but living in Kilmacrennan, a village between Creeslough and Letterkenny. Catherine’s son James (13) was also killed in the blast. She had a three-year-old daughter with her partner Charlie Flood.

The couple had suffered an earlier bereavement when they lost their baby daughter Paige to illness five years ago. Catherine and James were in the queue for the post office in the Applegreen shop when the blast occurred.

James Monaghan

James Monaghan (13) was a student at Mulroy College in Milford, about 20km east of Creeslough. He met his mother in the Applegreen shop at Creeslough shortly after getting off the schoolbus on Friday from Mulroy College.

Fiona Temple, the school’s principal, said: “We as a school community are devastated on hearing of the tragedy and the fatal outcome for our two beautiful students and our cherished parents. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families and the Creeslough community at this time.”

She said the community was “numbed by this overwhelming sadness and we will work together to support all members of our school community in the coming days, weeks and months ahead”.

Two other victims — James’s mother, Catherine O’Donnell, and Martina Martin — had two other students who were also attending the school.

Leona Harper

Leona Harper (14) lived with her family in Ramelton, about a 30-minute drive east of Creeslough, and also studied at Mulroy College. She was in Creeslough to attend a sleepover with a friend and had dropped into the Applegreen shop to buy an ice cream.

The sport-mad teenager played for Letterkenny Rugby Club’s under-14s girls team and was described as a “talented rugby player”. The club said it was “heartbroken” by the tragedy. It offered its condolences to her parents, Hugh and Donna, and brothers, Anthony and Jamie.

“There are no words that feel strong enough at a moment of deep sorrow such as this,” said the club.

In response to the rugby club’s post about Leona’s death, her father Hugh posted a message saying that the past 24 hours had “been nothing short of hell”. Knowing that they had the club’s support offered huge comfort to the family, he said.

“Leona loved rugby, although this year she was taking time out for boxing. But her first love was Letterkenny Rugby Club,” he wrote.

In another social media post, Leona’s brother Anthony asked everybody to think of his sister.

Leona was a big Liverpool fan, with the football club remembering her in a message posted on its Twitter account. The club said it was “deeply saddened” by her loss. “Our thoughts are with all in this very difficult time,” said the club.

Robert Garwe and Shauna Flanagan Garwe

Robert Garwe (50), who was originally from Wedza in Zimbabwe and worked in the building industry, was killed alongside his five-year-old daughter, Shauna Flanagan Garwe. He had been living in Creeslough for a number of years and was known as a quiet resident who travelled around the village on a scooter.

His Facebook page showed his interest in Zimbabwean politics and the military. Robert and Shauna were buying a birthday cake for her mother when the explosion occurred. Shauna was the youngest person to die in the explosion. A local pharmacist recalled Shauna always asking for a lollipop when she dropped into the chemist with her father.

Martin McGill

Martin McGill was 49 years old and an avid sports fan. He supported Celtic Football Club.

Originally from Scotland, he had been living in Creeslough for many years and was remembered as a well-known character in the village. He was a carer for his elderly mother. He grew up in Kirkintilloch, north of Glasgow in East Dunbartonshire.

McGill’s Facebook profile page shows a photograph of him standing next to a statue of Brother Walfrid, the Sligo-born founder of Celtic. He had ordered a takeaway and went to the garage to take out cash to pay for the food when the explosion occurred.

Hugh Kelly

The 59-year-old, better known as Hughie, lived near the scenic Doe Castle, 3km away from Creeslough. He worked as a farmer and occasionally as a building labourer. He was a well-known figure in and around the Creeslough area. He was the oldest victim of Friday’s explosion.