Creeslough father demands public inquiry four years after explosion killed his daughter

Four years after a devastating explosion tore through a service station in the small County Donegal village of Creeslough, the father of one of the ten victims has spoken of his family's enduring anguish and their determination to uncover the full truth about what happened.

Leona Harper, a 14-year-old schoolgirl, was among those killed when the blast struck on 7 October 2022. She had travelled to the village for a sleepover and was heading into the shop at the service station to buy ice-cream when the explosion occurred.

Her father, Hugh Harper, said the family's home remains a shrine to their lost daughter. Leona's coat still hangs in the hallway, the soil from the pitch of her last rugby match remains on her boots, and her bedroom has been left exactly as she left it. These small, painful details capture the immensity of a grief that shows no sign of easing with the passage of time.

No official explanation has ever been provided for what caused the explosion, and despite a number of arrests, no one has been charged in connection with the blast. Gardaí, the Irish police force, sent a second file to the Director of Public Prosecutions in April, adding to the primary file that was forwarded to prosecutors last September. The investigation, it appears, continues to grind forward without reaching any public conclusion.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, Hugh Harper described the frustration of trying to piece together the events of that day without official guidance. He said families were left to establish answers themselves, a process he likened to being taken down a maze of rabbit holes, where one question simply leads to another. The experience, he said, feels like torture and torment.

The Harper family, along with other victims' relatives, has been campaigning for a public inquiry into the explosion. Such an inquiry, they argue, is the only mechanism capable of compelling individuals to give evidence under oath and providing the definitive answers that have so far been denied to them. In July, a meeting was held between the families and Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Dublin, signalling that the campaign has at least reached the highest levels of the Irish government.

Hugh Harper remains steadfast in his belief that a public inquiry is the sole path to the full facts. He recalled that Leona went to Creeslough on a Friday afternoon and walked into a shop, and that was the last time her family saw or heard from her alive. Every day, he said, the family grieves for their little girl, and they remain stuck on 7 October 2022, unable to move forward while so much remains unexplained.

The depth of his loss was evident as he described the morning ritual that now defines his days. When he wakes up, his first thought is always of Leona and the unanswered questions surrounding her final moments. Until those answers are forthcoming, he said, the family's grief remains frozen in time, suspended in a state of uncertainty that prevents any sense of closure.

He also spoke of the promise he made to his daughter when she was born, recalling that he was the first to hold her. He vowed to keep her safe and to let nothing happen to her, a promise he acknowledges he could not keep. Despite that, he said he feels Leona is still with him, and he intends to continue protecting her memory even after her death, doing everything in his power to establish exactly what happened in Creeslough that day.

The family will travel to Creeslough on Wednesday for a commemoration service marking the anniversary of the tragedy, joining other bereaved relatives and members of the local community in remembering the ten people who lost their lives. The service represents both an act of collective mourning and a reminder of the unanswered questions that continue to hang over the village.

The explosion caused extensive damage to the roof of the service station, with images from the scene showing emergency workers in protective suits standing on elevated platforms above the wreckage. Broken wooden trusses, a large metal beam and partially collapsed internal block walls were all exposed by the force of the blast, underlining the sheer scale of the destruction that unfolded that afternoon.

In a statement to BBC News NI, a spokesperson for the Irish Department of Justice said Minister Jim O'Callaghan's thoughts remain with the families, loved ones, survivors and the wider community of Creeslough as the fourth anniversary approaches. The spokesperson emphasised that the focus of the investigation remains on allowing the investigative processes to proceed independently and without prejudice, so that the full facts can ultimately be established.

Gardaí also issued a statement, saying the victims, their families and the community were in their thoughts on the anniversary. The force renewed its appeal for anyone with information about the fatal explosion to come forward and speak to investigators, a plea that has been made repeatedly over the past four years without resulting in charges.

For the families of the ten victims, the passage of four years has brought neither clarity nor accountability. The investigation continues, files have been sent to prosecutors, and arrests have been made, yet the central question of why the explosion happened and whether anyone bears criminal responsibility remains unresolved.

Hugh Harper's determination to leave no stone unturned reflects a broader frustration shared by many in Creeslough. While the official processes move slowly and independently, the families are left to navigate their grief in a state of limbo, their lives permanently marked by a tragedy that has yet to be fully explained.

As the commemoration service takes place on Wednesday, the community will once again come together to honour those who died. But for Hugh Harper and others, remembrance is inseparable from the demand for truth. Until a public inquiry delivers the answers they seek, their grief will remain frozen on that October afternoon, and their questions will continue to echo without response.