Scots Celtic fan who died in explosion set to be remembered at anniversary vigil.
Martin McGill, from Kirkintilloch, died alongside nine other people in the blast that took place in the Irish village of Creeslough on October 7 last year.
A Scottish man who died in an explosion at an Irish service station is set to be remembered alongside nine other victims on the one year anniversary of the tragedy.
Four men, three women and three young people, aged between five and 59, died in the blast that took place in the Co Donegal village of Creeslough on the afternoon of October 7 last year.
Celtic fan Martin McGill, from Kirkintilloch, died alongside Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe.
Catherine O’Donnell, her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, fashion student Jessica Gallagher, Sydney native James O’Flaherty, shop worker Martina Martin, carpenter Hugh ‘Hughie’ Kelly and 14-year-old Leona Harper were also killed in the explosion.
A commemoration and remembrance service will be held at 3pm on Saturday at the site of the tragedy. A vigil mass is also to take place at 7.30pm at St Michael’s Church to remember those who died and those who were injured, and to thank the first responders to the scene.
The rescue and recovery effort, involving members of the community and emergency services on both sides of the border, was praised and sympathies were shared from across the world in the aftermath of the explosion.
A year on, no update has been given publicly on what caused the explosion. Irish police previously said the incident was being treated as a tragic accident, with a gas leak considered as one possibility.
An Garda Siochana said ahead of the anniversary that its investigation was continuing “as expeditiously as possible”. It said that over 1,350 lines of inquiry had been actioned and more than 900 statements had been taken.
Various Garda agencies are involved in the investigation and are being assisted by the Norwegian company Det Norske Veritas, which specialises in investigating and testing energy systems.
Ahead of the anniversary date, the families of those who died requested that the media respect their privacy. Ireland’s deputy premier Micheal Martin said he was “thinking of the people of Creeslough today, one year on since the terrible tragedy”.
“We remember the 10 lives lost, those injured, their families, and an entire community united in grief,” Mr Martin said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
