Grief-stricken Creeslough prepares to bury three more blast victims

Catherine O'Donnell, 39, and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, will be laid to rest today: Picture: Garda Siochana /PA Wire

The tight-knit community of Creeslough will today unite in grief once more as three more victims of last week's horrific explosion will be laid to rest.

At 11am, the funeral of blast victim James O'Flaherty, 48, will take place at St Mary's Church, Derrybeg. His son Hamish, who was sitting in his father's Volvo had a lucky escape from suffering serious injury. 

The 12-year-old dropped something in the car and leaned forward to pick it up just as the explosion, which claimed the lives of 10 people, destroyed the service station and adjacent apartment block.

Then, at 2pm, the funeral Mass for Catherine O'Donnell, 39, and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, will take place at St Michael's Church, Creeslough.

President Michael D Higgins will be in attendance at both funerals. He will meet the families of all those who died in the explosion, and the emergency workers who attended the scene

The funerals mark the next chapter of grief for the small Co Donegal village

James O'Flaherty. The 48-year-old who died in Friday's explosion will be buried today.Picture: An Garda Síochána

On Tuesday, Jessica Gallagher and Martin McGill were the first two of the 10 victims of last Friday's filling station blast to be buried. 

Their funerals were held in St Michael’s Church, where mourners heard tributes to the 24-year-old designer who liked playing practical jokes on her sisters and the 49-year-old Celtic fan who cared for his mother. 

Hundreds of mourners huddled in small groups, the shock and disbelief at the tragedy that has engulfed the community still palpable.

The grey sky was filled with silence as large crowds awaited the coffins.

A lone piper marked Martin's final journey to his grave yesterday, followed by the forlorn and broken figure of his mother Mary.

That journey, which ended with the strains of 'You'll Never Walk Alone', started from the home he shared with Mary at St Michael’s Terrace, where he had cared for her since he arrived back from Scotland.

Mourners were in place an hour before the beginning of Jessica's funeral, and those in attendance heard of an ambitious, hard-working, driven, and straight-talking young woman with forthright opinions on just about everything, Jessica was also fondly remembered as a practical joker whose party tricks included putting seaweed in her siblings’ beds.

The remaining funerals will take place in the coming days, as the people of Creeslough continue to come to terms with the tragedy that has torn the heart out of their community.

Meanwhile, two funds set up to raise money for victims and their families have raised over €700,000

A Go Fund Me page set up by a Donegal man in Australia has raised more than €367,859.

Initially set up with a €20,000 target, it more than tripled that in just hours.

The donations vary from more than 6,000 donors, but the biggest so far include €10,000 each from JCDecaux Ireland and The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a fund involving An Post, the Irish Red Cross and Applegreen had raised €352,000.

The Government has also announced that families impacted by the tragedy in Creeslough will be able to access financial support from the Government.

Cabinet has agreed to expand access to the humanitarian fund to households affected by Friday's explosion.