London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 09, 2026

Creeslough: Girl, 5, and dad among 10 killed in Donegal blast

Creeslough: Girl, 5, and dad among 10 killed in Donegal blast

The names of the 10 people killed by an explosion at a petrol station in County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland have been confirmed.

The victims of Friday's disaster include five-year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe and her dad Robert Garwe, 50.

Catherine O'Donnell, 39, and her son James Monaghan, 13, also died.

Leona Harper, 14, Jessica Gallagher, 24, James O'Flaherty, 48, Martin McGill, 49, Martina Martin, 49 and Hugh Kelly, 59 also lost their lives.

The explosion happened in the village of Creeslough in the north-west of Ireland.

Father John Joe Duffy lit 10 red candles at St Michael's Church in Creeslough to remember each of the victims


On Sunday An Garda Síochána (the Irish police force) said its investigation into the cause of the blast was continuing.

Garda Supt Liam Geraghty said the victims were "all local people" who were "very much involved in the local community".


Friends pay tribute to victims


People from Creeslough have spoken about their friendships with the victims and have paid tribute to them.

Robert Garwe and his daughter Shauna had gone to the shop to buy a birthday cake.

Hundreds of people have turned out to remember the victims at vigils across County Donegal


"Shauna was a playful, energetic little girl - she always asked for a lollipop," said village pharmacist Fergus Brennan.

"Looking at her photograph as the names have been released brings home the tragedy of a life cut short - a beautiful little girl along with her dad."

Catherine O'Donnell and her son James Monaghan were in the queue for the post office inside the shop when the explosion happened.

They had gone there after he had finished school for the day.

This aerial view shows the extent of the damage at the service station


Jessica Gallagher was a fashion graduate who had studied in Paris and Shanghai and was due to start a new job as a designer in Belfast.

On Friday she was visiting her boyfriend in his apartment above the petrol station.

Aileen Níc Pháidín, who knew her well from their childhood, said she was a "lovely girl".

"Me and my brother would have been over a lot in her house and her mammy would have made us dinner - very good-hearted people," she said.

Teenager Leona Harper was described as a talented rugby player by her club in Letterkenny.

Her family said they were "eternally grateful" to those who had helped to find her body.

Leona was a supporter of Liverpool Football Club, which said it was deeply saddened by her death.


Martin McGill was described as a "devoted son" who cared for his elderly mother and regularly visited the pharmacy to collect medication for her.

"Martin's mum called the pharmacy to see if he had come in," said Mr Brennan.

"Tragically one of our team went up to [the petrol station after the explosion] and Martin's car was on the forecourt."

Mother-of-four Martina Martin was working in the shop when she was killed.

James O'Flaherty, who was originally from Sydney in Australia, was a father of one son, while Hugh Kelly, the oldest victim, was a farmer.


Prayers from the Pope


Pope Francis was among those who offered their condolences to the people of Creeslough.

In a letter, his representative wrote that the Pope was "saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the explosion".

"He expresses his spiritual closeness to all those suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy," read the letter.

More vigils are planned for the coming days and condolence books will be opened across Ireland


On Sunday morning Bishop Alan McGuckian told Mass-goers in Creeslough that the village was "living through a nightmare".

He said the disaster was one that "anybody could have been caught up in".

"Why did they have to be there at that awful moment?" he asked.

Later almost 20 vigils were held in towns and villages across County Donegal in memory of the victims.


At the vigil in Milford: Rory O'Reilly, BBC News NI

As the rain came down on Sunday afternoon several hundred people gathered to pay their respects.

The loss is close to home for the community in Milford, a half-hour drive from Creeslough.

Two of those who died - Leona Harper and James Monaghan - attended Mulroy College in the town.

Parents hugged their children and tears were shed as music played and the names of the 10 victims were read.

A man in his 20s who was injured in the explosion is critically ill in St James's Hospital in Dublin.

Seven other people who were hurt are in a stable condition in Letterkenny University Hospital.

The service station and an adjoining apartment block were ripped apart by the blast


More details have emerged about the search operation to free those trapped in the rubble, during which the emergency services were helped by volunteers from the village.

Dr Gerry Lane told Irish national broadcaster RTÉ that the explosion had left the building "inherently unstable".

"I saw people in shorts and flip-flops wrenching corrugated iron away with their bare hands," he said.

"Those people were heroic but were placing themselves in a great deal of danger."

Rescue workers searched throughout Friday night to find those who had been killed and injured


JJ McGowan, the chief ambulance officer at the scene, described the difficult conditions encountered by the emergency teams.

"At one stage the fire service had constructed a small hole in the wall to get into part of the scene," he said.

"And all I could see was two of our boots sticking out of it.

"One of our lads [was] in there trying to see what he could see... through what you could only describe as a mouse hole."


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Prince Harry Suffers Major Court Defeat in Legal Battle Against Daily Mail Publisher
France and Morocco Open World Cup Quarter-Finals as Collina Defends Refereeing
Bonnie Tyler, Welsh Singer Behind Total Eclipse of the Heart, Dies at 75
Barclays and PwC Report Examines Economic Opportunities from Financial Asset Tokenisation
Pound Sterling Strengthens as Investors Anticipate Further Bank of England Rate Increases
British Business Bank Invests Twenty-Seven Million Pounds in Kraken Technology Defence Expansion
UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle Backs State Investment Strategy Inspired by US Approach
UK Electricity System Issues Margin Notice as Heatwave Tightens Evening Supply Outlook
Labour Leadership Contest Opens as Andy Burnham Emerges as Expected Sole Candidate
Tech Pulse: The Future of AI and Screen Culture
Global News Briefing: Escalating Geopolitical Tensions and Corporate Shakeups
Global News Brief: Escalating Conflicts, Public Health Crises, and World Cup Drama
Rare Early Copy of US Declaration of Independence Found in British Archive
Cornish Language Revival Gains Momentum Through Schools and Community Programs
UK Authorities Face Criticism Over Prisoner Early Release Safeguards
Clacton By-Election Set After Nigel Farage Resigns Seat to Trigger Contest
Government Agencies Review Long-Term Fiscal Risks from Aging Population and Low Productivity
UK Heatwaves Expose Pressure on Public Transport and Housing Infrastructure
UK Government Prepares Welfare Review Amid Debate Over Personal Independence Payment Reform
UK Government Expands Rapid Endometriosis Testing Across NHS Services
Vistry Group Issues Profit Warning as UK Housing Market Faces Continued Pressure
Virgin Media Receives Record Twenty-Eight Million Pound Fine Over Contract Cancellation Failures
Office for Budget Responsibility Warns UK Public Finances Face Long-Term Pressure
UK Watchdog Warns Regional Income Gap Has Barely Narrowed in Three Decades
IMF Raises United Kingdom Growth Forecast as Inflation and Energy Pressures Ease
UK Government Launches Regulatory Reform Bill to Speed Up Commercialization of Innovation
Prince Harry Loses Privacy Lawsuit Against Daily Mail Publisher After High Court Rejects Claims
Federal Financial Framework Shifts as Treasury Launches Universal Savings Program for Minors
Jet2 Reports Strong Summer Travel Demand as Bookings Rise Seven Percent
Prince Harry Loses High Court Privacy Case Against Daily Mail Publisher
British Universities Warn Against Potential European Union Tuition Fee Changes
Heal Fertility Clinic Investigated After Embryo Biopsy Sample Mix-Up
Resolution Foundation Warns Regional Income Divide Has Barely Improved Since 1997
British Markets Remain Cautious as Middle East Tensions Rise and Government Transition Nears
Andy Burnham Poised to Become United Kingdom Prime Minister in Expected Political Transition
Nigel Farage Resigns as Member of Parliament Ahead of By-Election Amid Funding Investigation
Trump Declares Iran Ceasefire Over After Renewed Attacks on United States Bases
French Court Allows Le Pen to Run for Presidency, but with an Electronic Tag: "I Will Appeal, and I Will Run"
$1.4 Trillion: The Lawsuit That Could Crush Meta
Europe's Growing Struggle with Extreme Heat and Air Conditioning
UK Daily Briefing: Legal Developments and Social Issues
Political Turmoil and Rising Costs
Anthropic Reengineers Agentic Architecture to Shift Autonomous Workplace Automation to the Cloud
Logic Flaw in Windows 11 Permission Architecture Silently Consumes Hundreds of Gigabytes of Local Storage
Apple Advances Late-Stage Operating Systems with Fourth Beta Deployments
Global Crisis Alert: Escalating Middle East Tensions and UK Political Upheaval
UK Parliament Pushes for Greater Domestic Control Over Critical Technologies
UK Parliament Warns Trade Fair and Exhibition Industry Is Losing Global Competitiveness
Police Launch Murder Investigation After Mother and Two Children Found Dead Near Bedford
British Chambers of Commerce Survey Shows Business Confidence Falls to Post-Pandemic Low
×