The families of seven people who lost their lives in the Creeslough explosion have called on the Minister for Justice to establish a public inquiry.
The government is being asked to give families an avenue to uncover the truth ahead of the second anniversary of the October 2022 tragedy, in which 10 people died.
In a letter to Minister Helen McEntee, as seen by Donegal Daily, the relatives said the criminal investigation by gardaí “is far from complete” after two years.
Acknowledging that the gardaí are limited in their scope of inquiry, they said there are “wider issues of preventability” relating to the Creeslough explosion which will inevitably fall outside the Garda investigation. They also pointed out that it is not the role of gardaí to make recommendations to ensure an atrocity such as this never happens again.
Phoenix Law Director Darragh Mackin, solicitor for the families, said the second greatest tragedy of the explosion is the absence of any independent human rights compliant investigation to ensure that the truth is established, and specific lessons are learned.
He said that families remain unable to grieve until they know the truth of what occurred.
Phoenix Law is acting on behalf of relatives of Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, Catherine O’Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, Jessica Gallagher, Martina Martin and Leona Harper (14).
Mr Mackin wrote: “The reality of the position is that there is an indisputable need for an independent investigation which can provide our clients with the necessary protections to which they are entitled under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).”
“Crucially, any such investigation would be in public (at least in part) and produce a report of its findings and make recommendations to ensure that lessons are learned, and rumour and suspicion are assuaged.”
Referencing the inquiry into the Grenfell fire in London as an “apt analogy”, Mr Mackin said that an independent inquiry could be similarly conducted in parallel with the criminal investigation without delay.
He concluded that a public inquiry or commission of investigation would ensure that no further time is lost and will provide clients with a vehicle for getting to the truth and, in turn, finally being able to grieve for their loved ones.
Mr Mackin has also asked the Minister to consider meeting with his client to discuss the request.
