FRIENDS AND neighbours of the McDonagh family gathered yesterday outside the house on the Moneymore estate in Drogheda where only hours previously locals fought to rescue those inside.
A well-respected family on the estate, the McDonaghs moved into their house some four years ago.
Anthony and Kathleen McDonagh had 11 children, four of whom were in the house when the fire broke out.
Two boys, James McDonagh (8), Tony jnr (16) and their older brother Martin (21) died in the fire. Their brother Eddie was critically injured.
Neighbour Teasy Fitzpatrick (65) broke down in tears as floral tributes were left at the front of the mid-terrace house. She said the family had three weddings over the last four years, with their daughter, Catriona, the latest to get married only two weeks ago.
Recalling the recent wedding, Ms Fitzpatrick said: “It was breathtaking. They came around with cake. Everybody got on with them.
“My two grandchildren just lived for Caroline, Lisa and James. All the children played with them.
“It’s never going to be the same here again without all those lovely little children.
“It’s heartbreaking. They were so nice. I just want to show a little respect for the little kids we all loved.
“It’s as simple as that – we did, we all loved them, the pets.”
Ms Fitzpatrick’s son Alan Fitzpatrick (40) was one of the first on the scene and he, along with other neighbours, made strenuous efforts to rescue those who were trapped in the house.
“I found Eddie there at the front of the house. He was on fire. He was badly burned.
“The fire was so intense. We saw one of them in the box room window screaming and trying to get out, but there was nothing we could do for him.
“We tried to get the ladder up to the window but we couldn’t break the window to help him out. He died.
“We just tried to help Eddie as best we could,” he said.
“The parents were very distraught. The mother Kathleen was roaring and screaming. She knew the children were in the house.
“The fire was too intense, you just couldn’t get in. We tried, we did try, but we just couldn’t.”
The emergency services were on the scene minutes after they were notified. “I’ve never seen anyone work so quick. They were very, very fast. They had the fire out seconds after they arrived. It’s brilliant the way they worked. Full credit to them.”
John Connors and his son Stephen (20) pulled Eddie away from the burning house.
Stephen described how he “dragged him out to the footpath, past the wall and put a duvet on him”.
At the same time his father was using a golf club to try to break down the front door, while Paddy Faulkner and Alan Fitzgerald tried to get a ladder to reach the upstairs window.
“Your heart would bleed. We used to have good craic with them,” Mr Faulkner said. “Everybody thinks it’s a shocking thing that has happened.”
Florence Clarke, who lives across the green from the McDonaghs, said: “The family was very quiet. The boys used to come around and cut the grass. They were never any trouble to anybody.
“It’s shocking. They’d no chance, the poor little things.”
Mayor of Drogheda Cllr Frank Maher spoke of the sense of shock being experienced in the estate.
“It’s a closeknit estate where everybody would know everyone else.
“The children have been excited waiting for St Patrick’s Day, and for this to happen at this time it’s particularly cruel and tragic.
“People were trying to escape the house, and that memory will live with the neighbours for a very very long time.
“The distraught parents who escaped and were trying to save their children – that will leave an indelible mark on the people.
“For us to see bodies being taken out, it’s just numbing.”