Creeslough: Who were the 10 victims of petrol station explosion?

Top row left to right: Shauna Flanagan Garwe and her father Robert Garwe, Leona Harper, Hugh Kelly, Jessica Gallagher. Bottom row left to right: Martin McGill, James O'Flaherty, Martina Martin, Catherine O'Donnell and son James Monaghan

Friends and neighbours have paid tribute to the 10 people who were killed by a huge explosion at a petrol station in the Republic of Ireland.

The victims - ranging in age from five to 59 - lost their lives in the disaster in the County Donegal village of Creeslough on Friday.

Gardaí (Irish police) said they were all "local people" who lived in the village or in surrounding areas.

Shauna Flanagan Garwe and Robert Garwe

Five-year-old Shauna was the youngest of the people who died and was with her father Robert when the explosion happened.

"Shauna was a playful, energetic little girl - she always asked for a lollipop," said Creeslough pharmacist Fergus Brennan.

"Looking at her photograph as the names have been released brings home the tragedy of a life cut short.

"A beautiful little girl... her dad doted on her."

Robert, known in the village as Bob, had taken his daughter to the shop to buy a birthday cake and treats.

Catherine O'Donnell and James Monaghan

Catherine, 39, and her son James were in the queue for the post office inside the shop when the explosion happened.

They had gone there after the 13-year-old had finished school for the day.

He had been studying at Mulroy College in the nearby town of Milford.

Businessman Fintan Coll told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster show that he knew Catherine well.

"I used to do work in Catherine's house. You would look forward so much to going up to Catherine's just to have the chat with her; the work only come secondary," he said.

"As soon as you'd go in Catherine would say 'Do you want a cup of tea before you start?' She was just a nice kind goodhearted person.

"Wee James was a grand wee boy - a friend of my own grandchildren at school and they're heartbroken over James."

Leona Harper

The parents of 14-year-old Leona Harper, said she was a "little gem".

Her father Hugh Harper told Donegal radio station Highland Radio that his daughter was "very outgoing, very friendly, a lovely person, very quiet, laid-back".

He said that she loved life and loved the outdoors and spending time with friends..

"She was very special, very, very special. She's going to be very sorely missed," he said.

Leona's mother Donna thanked the digger driver who found her body after a long search.

"A massive thank you to him because he just didn't stop until he got her," she said.

"Twenty-four hours before we got her and she was the last taken out.

"The doctors and everything, everybody was amazing the way they treated the whole scene from start to finish with nothing more than respect."

Leona was described as a talented rugby player by Letterkenny Rugby Club, where she played in the under-14 team.

She was a supporter of Liverpool Football Club, which posted on Twitter that it was "deeply saddened" by her death.

Jeremy Worth from the rugby club told Good Morning Ulster that she was a very promising player.

"Leona was also simply a lovely young person," he said.

The 14-year-old, who was a pupil at Mulroy College in Milford, had been due to go to a birthday party on Friday. Instead she decided to go to Creeslough for a sleepover with a friend.

She was picking an ice cream in the shop when the explosion happened.

Jessica Gallagher

Jessica, 24, was a fashion graduate who had studied in Paris and Shanghai and had been due to start her career as a designer in Belfast on Monday.

She had been visiting her boyfriend in his apartment above the petrol station when the explosion happened.

Her aunt, Dolores Gallagher, told Donegal's Highland Radio that Jessica was "the most beautiful young woman".

"She was very artistic," she said. "Today was the day she was starting her new professional life as a fashion designer in Belfast and she had just finished her first commission.

"She was so proud of and loved her locality; she loved Creeslough so much.

"When she was a student in Paris, one of her assignments was to work on something from home and she produced a beautiful picture of Muckish [mountain] in the moonlight."

She said the family brought Jessica's remains home in the moonlight on Sunday.

Her aunt said the family wanted to thank everyone for their "unbelievable" kindness and support.

James O'Flaherty

Forty-eight-year-old James was an engineer and originally from Sydney in Australia.

He was married to Tracey and had a son, Hamish.

He had been living in Dunfanaghy, a village about 10 minutes' drive from Creeslough.

Dr Dan Gill, a GP in Falcarragh, was a friend and neighbour.

"We both built houses together on the same field, quite near the village centre. He was a lovely man," he said.

"Quiet, humorous, he was from Australia. I am also half Australian so we had lots to talk about.

"He was very attached to his son Hamish. They were always around together - they had those wide-brimmed hats that Australians wear during the summer - walking down town together - it is just terrible."

Dr Gill added: "He married a lovely Donegal woman, Tracey. I think they were living in Scotland before here, and they found that lovely site and moved over.

"He was an engineer for a large multinational corporation. He worked from home and every time I drove in at the house he was standing at a big bank of computers doing his job."

Martin McGill

Martin was described as a "devoted son" who cared for his elderly mother.

The 49-year-old who was originally from Scotland regularly visited the village pharmacy to collect medication for her.

"[He] was such a special, lovable and friendly young man, very well known and liked around Creeslough," said pharmacist Fergus Brennan.

After the explosion Martin's mother was trying to find him and called the pharmacy to ask if he had been there.

"Tragically one of our team went up to [the petrol station] and Martin's car was on the forecourt," said Mr Brennan.

Local businessman Fintan Coll said he moved to Creeslough to look after both his parents. His father had since died.

"He would be a fella that, if he saw you in trouble, he couldn't pass you.

"If he was driving along and saw somebody with a flat wheel, Martin would have to stop."

Martina Martin

Martina was working in the shop at the petrol station.

She was 49 and was a mother of four.

Her sons Sean and Neil attended a vigil in the nearby village of Downings on Sunday night.

There they shook hands with and hugged firefighters from Mevagh Fire Station who had been at the scene of the blast on Friday.

Julie Wilkinson, whose daughter Orla worked alongside her, paid tribute on Facebook.

"She was a friend to all, a cheery word and always a smile, to her co-workers she was a dear friend and to the younger staff members, she was their work mammy, minding them," she said.

"May her kind, gentle soul rest in peace."

Hugh Kelly

Hugh, or Hughie as some knew him, was a farmer from the area.

He was 59 years old and was the oldest person to die as a result of the explosion.

Reporter Chris McNulty from the Donegal Democrat told RTE that he was from Doe Point outside Creeslough.

"He did a bit of construction work and was a farmer," he said.

"He was well-known and well-liked... a simple man who kept himself to himself. A much-loved man who just happened to be in the shop going about his Friday business."