seamus dubhghaill

Promoting Irish Culture and History from Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

Tag Archives: Irish Coast Guard


by Leave a comment

The Creeslough Explosion

On October 7, 2022, a devastating explosion strikes the Applegreen petrol station and adjacent apartment complex in Creeslough, County Donegal, killing ten people and injuring eight. The suspected cause is an accidental gas leak.

The blast occurs at 15:17 IST, severely damaging the forecourt and partially collapsing the building behind the petrol station. The complex includes apartments, a convenience store, post office, and hair salon. Up to thirty people — including schoolchildren — are present at the time. Emergency services from both sides of the border assist in the search and rescue.

The deceased are Leona Harper (14), Robert Garwe (50) and his 5-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe, Catherine O’Donnell (39) and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, Jessica Gallagher (24), Martin McGill (49), James O’Flaherty (48), Martina Martin (49) and Hugh “Hughie” Kelly (59).

Eight injured people are hospitalised, some airlifted by the Irish Coast Guard and Air Ambulance Northern Ireland.

The Garda Síochána, supported by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), lead the investigation, which generates over 1,500 jobs, 1,000 statements, and 750 reports by September 2025. Seven people, including six men and one woman, have been arrested at that stage.

A primary investigation file is sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in September 2025, with a supplementary file from gardaí and the HSA’s final report submitted in August 2026. The DPP will now decide whether to proceed with criminal charges.

Families have campaigned for a public inquiry if the criminal investigation does not provide satisfactory answers. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said such an inquiry can be facilitated if needed, but the government has maintained it should not begin while the criminal case is active. Families have met with senior officials and continue to seek transparency.

As of August 2026, the HSA’s final report has been sent to the DPP, marking a key step in closing the criminal investigation chapter. The outcome will determine whether further legal or public inquiry action follows.


by Leave a comment

Funeral of Coast Guard Captain Dara Fitzpatrick

dana-fitzpatrick-funeral

On Saturday, March 18, 2017, President Michael D. Higgins is among hundreds of mourners at St. Patrick’s Church in Glencullen for the funeral of Coast Guard Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, who died when her Sikorsky S-92 helicopter (call sign Rescue 116) crashed off the County Mayo coast on March 14.

The funeral cortege arrives at the church in Glencullen at 11:00 AM and is met by an honour guard from the Coast Guard and other rescue services. Captain Fitpatrick’s parents, four siblings, her young son Fionn, and other family members accompany the coffin into the church.

In addition to President Higgins, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross are in attendance, as is Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin. Also present are members of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Civil Defence Ireland, mountain rescue and many other groups.

In his homily, Parish Priest Fr. Andrew O’Sullivan says St. Patrick’s church has seen many sad and tragic funerals but few as sad and sorrowful as this one. He pays tribute to the Fitzpatrick family and says they and the community have lost a loved and valued member. He adds that the congregations’ thoughts are with Captain Fitzpatrick’s three crew members who have yet to be found.

Fr. O’Sullivan says the family takes comfort from the fact that Dara had lived life to the fullest. Mourners hear that as well as being a loving mother, Dara was an avid traveler, cook and animal lover.

The funeral Mass is followed by cremation at Mount Jerome Crematorium.

Poor weather conditions off the west coast of Ireland hamper the search for the three missing crew members and the wreckage of the Coast Guard helicopter R116. On March 22, the wreckage of the main part of the helicopter is detected by underwater cameras about 60 metres off Blackrock Island. The body of co-pilot Captain Mark Duffy is found in the cockpit section of the wreckage. A helmet and lifejacket belonging to one of the two missing crewmen is discovered on a beach on the Mullet Peninsula on September 30, 2017.

(From: Captain Dara Fitzpatrick remembered during funeral service, RTÉ.ie, the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland’s National Public Service Broadcaster, March 18, 2017)