A Councillor has agreed to withdraw a motion asking Donegal County Council to purchase the site of the Creeslough tragedy for a memorial garden.
At today’s plenary meeting of the council, Cllr Tómas Seán Devine proposed that the local authority buy the site where ten people lost their lives following an explosion in October 2023. This, he said, should be done by way of negotiation with the owner or a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), if needed.
He also called on the council to sit down with the families and design a memorial garden in memory of all those affected.
“I’m begging you (council executive) to meet and sit down with the families on this matter,” Cllr Devine said.
“The Irish Red Cross made an announcement last week which was not fully discussed with the families”.
He went on to accuse the council of not talking to the bereaved families and repeatedly asked how many times they had met with them.
Cllr Tomas Sean Devine 100% Redress Party
The Chief Executive of the council, Mr John McLaughlin, urged members not to adopt the motion due to a counter motion proposed by Cllr Michael McClafferty. The counter motion proposed that the issue be discussed in private council workshops and that Cllr Devine’s motion be deferred until September.
Reading from a written response, Mr McLaughlin told the meeting that few people ‘cared more’ about the bereaved families than that council’s staff.
“This issue pulls at all our heartstrings,” Mr McLaughlin said.
“The council acknowledges that, for the families who lost their loved ones that day, their grief is continuing and may be unending. The shock and pain of the event was felt throughout the entire community and indeed the whole country”.
In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, he added, the community came together and was helped considerably by the efforts of a great number of organisations, public bodies and individuals.
For the council’s part, it took the proactive step of quickly establishing the Creeslough Working Group, made up of Elected Members, council officials and ,’most importantly’, representatives of the local community in Creeslough.
A Creeslough Action Plan was launched in March 2024 as well as a Community Regeneration Project in the village. A total of €12.1 million was secured from the government, matched by an additional €1.3M from the council.
“In responding to the motion which directly affects the Creeslough families who have endured such grief, I know that no-one within the Council (members and staff alike) would want to add to that grief,” Mr McLaughlin said.
However, he said, it was his belief it should not be adopted, and would ‘strongly urge’ the members not to do so for a number of reasons.
Mr McLaughlin stated the site was privately owned and the issue was one that can be ‘very difficult, distressing and possibly contentious for those involved’.
He also pointed out that the council is leading on the development of the legacy project nearby in the village on public lands.
“It is not clear to me, should the motion be adopted at the council meeting today, that it can be acted upon,” he added.
“It is fully understood that each time the Creeslough Tragedy is raised in a public forum, there is huge sympathy and empathy for the families affected and the wider community,” he said.
“It is also fully understood that the council’s response will be seen by some as uncaring and unhelpful and yet the council has no role or responsibility to purchase these private lands and create a memorial garden.
“The council understands how the response will be received and yet the council must be clear to all concerned and not create unrealistic expectations, which would ultimately lead to prolonged uncertainty and possible further distress to those most affected. It is for this reason that the council wishes to provide a clear and definite response”.
Cllr Devine, stating he only received the council’s response a short-time before the meeting, said that the issue was not about money, but ‘about people’s lives’.
In his counter motion, Cllr McClafferty said the use of a CPO is only a last resort. He proposed that the council defer Cllr Devine’s motion until September.
“Prior to then, we can have a workshop on Cllr Devine’s motion. This would be helpful and we could have a frank and open discussion about the issue,” Cllr McClafferty said.
Cllr Ciaran Brogan rejected claims the council had not engaged with families. He said he had the ‘highest praise’ for the council executive for the way they have dealt with a highly sensitive issue.
“Members of the council executive went into the heart of the community and dealt with the families directly,” Cllr Brogan said.
He was also full of praise for other bodies, including the HSE and the Irish Red Cross.
“An awful lot of people gave a lot of support and we can’t be letting misinformation get out there. It’s not right to say the families were not talked to. When someone comes forward with a motion like this, it’s very sensitive. The council went into the community and worked with everyone. I feel compelled to put that on the record”.
Cllr Devine responded that he was not attacking the council: “This is about sitting around a table with the families… the council is doing a great job with the regeneration. I am not sending out messages that anyone has disrespected the families. Please sit down with the families in relation to that site”.
He added he was happy to withdraw his motion and to go with Cllr McClafferty’s alternative.
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