Creeslough families finally get to air ‘worries and private concerns’ to Minister

Families affected by the Creeslough explosion have welcomed confirmation that they will have face-to-face talks with the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan.

Mr O’Callaghan has performed a u-turn and will meet in the coming weeks with family members and others affected by the 2022 explosion, which claimed 10 lives.

No date has been confirmed for the meeting, but it is understood that it will be “soon”. While the Minister has reiterated that he will not consider a public inquiry until the criminal investigation and inquest into the tragedy are completed, he will now sit down in Dublin with the Creeslough families.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has confirmed that Minister O’Callaghan will meet with the families “to listen to their concerns and convey his position directly”.

“The minister stated publicly that he will not consider the establishment of a public inquiry until such time as the criminal investigation and the inquest are concluded,” a spokesperson said.

“The criminal process is the only way he believes the families will get justice. If at the end of those processes there are questions remaining, the Minister will consider whether a public inquiry is required.”

Donna Harper, whose 14-year-old daughter Leona was one of those killed in the blast, told DonegalLive that the families want to make the most of the opportunity.

“At the moment, we will take the opportunity to talk to him and just see what happens,” Ms Harper told DonegalLive.

“I have to say, we are absolutely delighted to get the chance. I received an email from Jim O’Callaghan’s office to say that he will sit down and have some talks.

“We have our worries and our private concerns, which we will now put to the Minister.”

In October 2024, the then Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, met with the families in Government Buildings. However, the families were frustrated with the lack of progress on some matters.

“We did talk to Helen McEntee about the possibility of a public inquiry,” Ms Harper said. “She said at that time that she couldn’t make any kind of a decision until she went to speak with other people. 

“She said that she would come back to us with an answer, but that didn’t happen. A liaison person was to be put in place to liaise with our legal teams. That was promised, but that also never happened.

“She put a few promises in place, but walked away and didn’t do anything. We will be able to ask those questions now again.”

Some of the other families have different queries and points to raise with the Minister and Ms Harper added: “Everybody will have their own individual and private queries so this is a great opportunity for us to be able to sit down and have talks.”

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Until now, Mr O’Callaghan had doubled down on a refusal to meet with the families.

The Minister came in for sharp criticism from the opposition after saying recently at a cross-border police conference held by An Garda Síochána and the PSNI in Co Cavan that “my job is not to be sensitive; my job is to ensure that justice is delivered”.

Earlier this month, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Donegal TDs Pearse Doherty and Padraig Mac Lochlainn met with some of the affected family members.

Deputy McDonald said at the time: “This meeting and, indeed, a public inquiry can take place without compromising the investigation, as confirmed by the former Garda Commissioner.”

Separately, a file has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in relation to the matter and there is an ongoing Garda investigation into the events of October 7, 2022.

The Creeslough explosion claimed the lives of five-year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe and her father, Robert Garwe (50), Catherine O’Donnell (39) and her son James Monaghan (13), James O’Flaherty (48), Jessica Gallagher (24), Martin McGill (49), Hugh Kelly (59), Martina Martin (49) and 14-year-old Leona Harper.