Mum of girl killed in blast asks government for direct talks

The mother of a teenage girl killed when an explosion ripped through a service station has appealed to the Irish government to engage in "meaningful talks" with bereaved families about establishing a public inquiry into the tragedy.

Donna Harper's 14-year-old daughter Leona was one of 10 people who died in the Creeslough explosion in County Donegal on 7 October 2022.

No official explanation has yet been given for the cause of the explosion.

Ireland's Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration said the current criminal investigation was the "most appropriate place to address all the understandable concerns of the families and the public".

On Saturday, Donna Harper will speak at an event in Londonderry, marking the 54th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when 13 civil rights demonstrators were shot dead by the Army in the Bogside in 1972.

Families and campaigners from the Stardust tragedy, Hillsborough, the Post Office scandal, Ballymurphy and Bloody Sunday will come together to share their experiences in seeking truth and accountability.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, Harper said she never thought she would find herself alongside families whose stories she once knew only from newspaper headlines.

"I grew up in Letterkenny watching and reading about major events like Stardust, Bloody Sunday and Hillsborough," she said.

"Never in my life did I think I would be standing alongside those families now fighting for justice for my daughter and for the nine other people that died in Creeslough."

"Those families understand exactly what we are going through."

The investigation into the Creeslough explosion is being carried out by Gardaí (Irish police) based in Donegal in conjunction with the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities and the Health and Safety Authority.

Harper said she had been informed that an outstanding part of the file into the case is due to be submitted by Gardaí to the Republic's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in March.

A primary investigation file was forwarded to the DPP last September by Gardaí, who have made a fresh appeal for anyone with information to come forward.

In 2024, Donegal County Council passed a motion calling for a public inquiry.

Planning permission for a new development on the site at Creeslough was granted last year but was later overturned following an appeal by the bereaved families.

Donna Harper said she had been told by the Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan that any decision on an inquiry will follow the outcome of the Garda investigation.

Harper said the Creeslough families were not going to "stop looking for the truth we deserve".

"We are coming to a critical time in the Gardaí's criminal investigation, which I am fully supportive of.

"Once the file is fully submitted, we will have to wait for direction from the DPP.

She said she felt now was the time to have "meaningful talks" about establishing a statutory judicial public inquiry.

"The government have to sit down with us."

She said the questions the families have will not be answered through the Garda investigation alone.

Leona Harper would have celebrated her 18th birthday in January.

The family have no death certificate yet for her as full inquests for all the Creeslough families cannot be held until the criminal investigation is complete.

Harper said her daughter's memory is what keeps her going.

"Leona's life mattered and those nine people mattered, so their deaths have to matter", she said.

"My daughter was only 14 when she died, she should be here moving to the next chapter in her life.

"No parent should be left waiting and wondering."

Harper said the Raglan House gas explosion which killed two people in Dublin in 1987 was an example of a case where a criminal investigation was conducted alongside a separate government report.

"That happened in 1987, we are now in 2026.

"It shouldn't be left to the families to figure this out."

In a statement to BBC News NI, the Republic's Department of Justice said the Minister had met Leona's parents in December 2025 in Donegal.

"He conveyed his deepest sympathy personally to Mr and Mrs Harper and to all the families of the victims and the wider community of Creeslough," a spokesperson said.

"In his conversation with Mr and Mrs Harper, the minister spoke of the importance of allowing the Garda investigation to reach its conclusion in the first instance.

"The DPP is wholly independent in her functions and the minister cannot provide comment on any aspect of the DPP's work."

The spokesperson said the inquest and any criminal proceedings would be held in public.

The Garda investigation team has appealed to anyone who was in the building before the explosion to speak to them.