Bríd Smith pays tribute to Creeslough victims and rescuers
Bríd Smith addressed the Ceann Comhairle about the Creeslough tragedy in Donegal, paying tribute to first responders and urging support for families, survivors and the injured. She said council services had been accessed over 200 times and that the HSE expects a surge in demand ahead of Christmas.
Tribute to responders and victims
Bríd Smith described the stark images from Creeslough and praised local people, contractors and frontline workers who moved through rubble and assisted with rescue and recovery. She said those scenes - set against the beauty of the local environment - were deeply traumatic and demonstrated the compassion and effort of the community.
Service use and forthcoming pressure on health services
She reported that council services have been used over 200 times since the incident and warned the HSE expects increased demand for supports in the run-up to Christmas. Smith stressed that Christmas will be a very difficult time for bereaved families, survivors and those still attending hospitals.
Mental health, PTSD and survivor support
Referencing Fergal Keane's remarks on PTSD, she highlighted the importance of not feeling alone and encouraged survivors to keep searching for acceptance and peace. She warned that the trauma survivors will live with is very deep and called for sustained access to counselling and support services.
Memory, comparison and calls for closure
Bríd Smith invoked the Stardust tragedy to underline the need to remember victims and to provide closure for families. She pointed out the "untimely ending of life for these ten people" and urged that those affected are fully supported as month's mind masses take place across Donegal.
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Ceann Comhairle, a month ago today, I think the images that flashed across our screens and when transmitted through social media left us all feeling really cold and also I think kind of anxious about what happened, what was this all about, looking at local people moving through rubble with their bare hands, local contractors moving machinery in and refusing to stop working until they completed the rescue operation was reminiscent of something we're familiar seeing in Palestine in Ukraine in Yemen and indeed in our own troubled past they were scenes that we would have not got used to but would have been frequent enough but here something really really tragic and really desperate really unusual had happened in the beautiful county of Donegal and there could be no contrast greater than the scene at Creeshlock with the absolute beauty of the local environment around us and I want to pay credit to the first responders to the local people and to the frontline workers who later on helped with all of those injured and all of those killed I think it says a lot about humanity and about what human beings are capable of when you see such a brilliant response to such a really dreadful tragedy I understand that the council services services that were offered to the local people have been accessed over 200 times since and that the HSE are expecting a surge in the demand for these services in the lead up to Christmas which is perfectly understandable Christmas is a time for family for joy and for togetherness and it's going to be very very tough on them so I think all of our thoughts should be with the family and friends and indeed those who are injured and those who ended up in hospital or maybe still are in hospital or may have to continue to continue to attend hospitals I think we should remind ourselves that the sort of trauma that they're going to have to live with is very very deep indeed and anyone who may have heard Fergal Keane this morning on the radio talking about the PTSD that he has suffered and how he's attempted to grapple with it over the many years as a war correspondent could be very moved by his advice and that was never feel that you're alone and don't give up searching for acceptance and peace and I think that will be that will be inspiring to the families in the next period I certainly hope so and particularly to the survivors and those who are injured those of us who know and many of us do in here the families and survivors of the stardust fire although very very different circumstances will understand how important it is to be remembered not to be forgotten and to have closure on a really dreadful tragedy and untimely ending of life and untimely ending of life and untimely ending of life for these ten people there's nothing can compare to it and really and truly our hearts have to go out to them and as the month's mind masses take place all over Donegal over the next couple of days we should remember Sean of Flanagan Garvey and her father Robert Catherine O'Donnell and her son James is terribly important but also to be to be fully supported by all the services that can be available to them so Céad míle slán ló agus er éste ég guam é ananam
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