'She travelled the world but died a mile from home'

Doctors in a County Donegal village are "trying to put people back together again emotionally" as villagers mark the first anniversary of an explosion which killed 10 people.

The blast happened at the Applegreen service station in Creeslough on 7 October 2022.

It destroyed the village's only shop and a section of an apartment block.

The victims - four men, three women, two teenagers and a five-year-old girl - were from the village or surrounding areas.

'She never came home'

Fashion designer Jessica Gallagher was due to start a new job in Belfast the week after the explosion happened.

Having studied at a design school in Paris, Jessica was excited to embark on the next chapter of her life.

“She had her case packed and all her bits in it, accommodation got,” her mother Bernie said.

“She just never got home, she never got back.”

On the night before she died, Jessica went out for a belated birthday dinner with her boyfriend and stayed in his apartment beside the filling station.

It was the last time her mother saw her.

Jessica Gallagher was 24

Bernie had been at home when she heard the explosion a mile away and instinctively raced to the scene.

“I tried to ring her and there was no reply,” she recalled.

“A couple with a child gave me a lift up and I couldn’t wait to get out of the car - I just wanted to get out to find her.”

After an excruciating wait, Bernie was brought to identify her daughter’s body.

“It’s a year but it just seems like it was yesterday.”

Jessica’s talents took her around the world, but her heart was always in Creeslough, her family said.

Elements of home, including Muckish mountain which overlooked the village, would often feature in her designs, her father Anthony said.

“I think the loss of potential of any young person is one of the biggest losses that any family has,” added Anthony.

“We just find it hard that for a girl that went round all the world that she was killed a mile from home.”

Anthony remembers his youngest daughter as courageous and fiercely loyal.

“She had an ambition about her that she wanted to do something in this world to make a difference.”

Ten people were killed in an explosion at the Creeslough service station on 7 October 2022

Gardaí (Irish police) said the investigation is ongoing and the cause is not known.

A memorial service was held at 15:00 local time on Saturday at the site of the blast to remember those who lost their lives.

A Mass service for the victims, families and first responders will be held later in St Michael's Church.

The victims of the petrol station explosion

Creeslough is a small village in the north west of Ireland, about 15 miles (24km) from Letterkenny and 30 miles (48km) from the border with Northern Ireland.

It has a population of about 400 people.

Community still mourning

Dr Paul Stewart, a GP in the nearby Dunfanaghy Health Centre, said the local community is still trying to comprehend the events of last October.

Many are still using the bereavement and counselling services that were deployed to the village.

“There’s a quiet sadness about the town, [it’s] certainly not back to where we were, and I don’t know how long that will last," he said.

Vigils were held both locally and nationally to remember the victims and their families

Dr Stewart said many have been left frustrated at the pace of the investigation, seeking answers around what caused the blast.

“I think that’s part of the healing process and the need to get those answers,” he added.

Gardaí (Irish police) said they have opened more than 1,350 lines of inquiry and have taken more than 900 statements since the explosion.

At just 14, Leona Harper was one of the youngest to lose her life in last year’s tragedy.

She was on her way to buy ice-cream for a sleepover with friends when she spoke to her mother Donna for the last time.

“The last thing I had said to her then was: ‘OK Leona, love you, chat to you tonight’ and she was like: ‘Love you too Mammy’ and that’s the last conversation we had.

“I’ll always hold that as a happy memory because she was happy.”

'She loved life'

Leona was one of the last to be found after the explosion happened.

“[We stood] there all night and the following morning just waiting to get Leona back, praying that we would get her back,” her father Hugh said.

“We did get her back but not the way we wanted.”

Hugh described the devastating moment he had to identify his daughter.

“As a parent, that is one of the hardest things that I’ve ever had to do, or ever will have to do, is know that one of your children has gone.”

Leona Harper was at the shop with friends when she was caught up in the tragedy

Leona was a treasured member not just of her family and family group, but of her beloved Letterkenny Rugby Club.

“She loved the simple things in life which a lot of people don’t appreciate and she’s shown me that,” Hugh added.

The family also paid tribute to the community in Donegal and further afield for the support they have received in the wake of the tragedy.

Ten candles representing the 10 victims were lit by Fr John Joe Duffy in the village's chapel

Local bishop Alan McGuckian echoed this sentiment, adding locals had "rallied" around each other through the last 12 months.

But families were “dreading” marking the first anniversary.

“People in Creeslough know that they will carry this and they will remember it for generations,” he told BBC News NI.

“Just as day-by-day the people have faced in, faced up and walked through, they will be there with one another and for one another on that day too.”