A blanket of silence wrapped itself around the still heartbroken village of Creeslough in Co Donegal at 3.17pm this afternoon.
Exactly a year ago, the heart of this village and its community was ripped apart as ten people lost their lives in an explosion at the local Applegreen Filling Station on a busy Friday afternoon.
The sound of a bell tolling ten times marked the loss of those 10 precious lives.
The names of James O'Flaherty, Leona Harper, Martin McGill, Hugh Kelly, Jessica Gallagher, Martina Martin, Catherine O'Donnell and her son James Monaghan, Robert Garwe and his daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe will be forever connected to this village.
As he did a year ago, local priest Fr John Joe Duffy tried to find a way to guide the local community who gathered in prayer outside the very place where this awful tragedy unfolded.
The scene that day was one of utter chaos as locals searched in the rubble for those caught up in this horrific tragedy.
A year later, people gathered at the same location still searching but this time for solace or some small crumb of comfort to ease the heartache which continues to pull away at this tightly-knit community.
Fr Duffy said "It is a day of sadness, of acute sadness, but a day of personal reflection, a day of fond memories of loved ones who were lost in this tragedy.
"The last year has been a difficult journey, a journey of mourning, a journey of healing, a journey of learning to cope, particularly for those from whom this tragedy took ten beautiful souls and for those also who were injured in body and for all of us who were injured in mind.
"The journey of recovery will continue for all of us for a long time to come. Unlike most journeys we set out on in life, this journey of Creeslough we know neither the length nor the duration of the road ahead but we know that we will travel it together, each of us together, linked together.
"We are as strong as our weakest part and out weakest part is our most previous part of us all. Today, I would like to finish by thanking all in the emergency services from across this island who came here once again today standing in solidarity with us to give us comfort."
He finished by thanking the people of Ireland for supporting the people of Creeeslough over the past year.
"I ask you, the people of Ireland who have responded to us from your homes by sending us thousands of cards and messages to continue to keep us in your prayers for the journey that lies ahead.
"This day is another step on the long journey ahead. God bless you all and thank you for your kindness, for your comfort and consolation to us all," he said
Fr Duffy thanked all the bereaved families for the strength they gave to him personally.
Not all members of the families who lost loved ones in the explosion attended the memorial with some preferring to remember them in their own personal way.
However, a crowd of around 1,500 did gather to remember those lost in the tragedy and the families who continue to search for answers.
Those who attended included Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue who represented the Government, local Deputies Joe McHugh, Padraig Mac Lochlainn and Pearse Doherty, Principal of Mulroy College in Milford, Ms Fiona Temple, who lost both parents and pupils in the blast.
The emergency services were represented in large numbers including members of the Irish Coastguard, An Garda Síochána, the Donegal Fire Service and the National Ambulance Service.
Also there were members of the K9 Search and Rescue unit from Northern Ireland incluidng one of their dogs Max who helped search for survivors in the aftermath of the blast.
The Church of Ireland Bishop of Derry and Raphoe Andrew Forster told mourners it has been a very difficult and painful year and a year of heartache. However, he added it had also been a year in which "we saw the best of people".
A message on behalf of the Bishop of Raphoe, Alan McGuckian, who was away in Rome was also read out.
Music played a major part in the ceremony with renowned musician Matt McGranaghan playing a number of tunes before finishing off the ceremony with the poignant Somewhere Over The Rainbow.'Fr Duffy also revealed that the bell used to commemorate the ten victims of the tragedy will be stored at the nearby St Michael's Church in Creeslough before it will be moved to another location when the time is right.
Ten yellow roses rested alongside the bell remembering each of the ten victims.
A poem written by the pupils of nearby Glassan National School in Dunfanaghy was read out by principal Ms Aine Whoriskey.
As prayers were read and music floated across the still October afternoon, couples hugged each other as they allowed tears to flow openly.
Children played with teddy bears, oblivious to the sadness of the day and the loss which was being recalled.
While those left behind continue to search for their own answers, a number of agencies continue to find answers to the cause of the massive explosion.
And that task has been huge and still goes on.
The agencies involved include by the Health and Safety Authority, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities and Norwegian company DNV – Det Norske Veritas, which specialises in investigating and testing energy systems.
Gardaí have also confirmed that they have undertaken more than 1,350 lines of enquiry while more than 900 statements have also been taken.
A Family Liaison Team with a dedicated Family Liaison Officer was also appointed to each deceased person’s family is in place and continues to support the bereaved families.
Creeslough too, is trying to rebuild on a practical level.
People around Ireland and indeed the world wanted to reach out in a practical way to help after witnessing the horrific scenes thorough the media and the donations began to flow in.
Local woman Majella McFadden was appointed as Community Links Manager in a bid to address the issues being encountered by the community on a day-to-day-basis.
The Department of Rural and Community Development found €500,000 in funding for the Creeslough Together Initiative over three years.
The Red Cross also established the Creeslough Community Support Fund and to date it has raised €1,878,476 for all those effected by the tragedy.
This fund has helped on a practical level with funeral costs, those who lost possessions or jobs as a result of the incident.
More than €130,000 has also been allocated for a legacy community project.
Majella's own brother Gerard, who is based in Australia, started a Go Fund Me page for Creeslough immediately after the tragedy which raised a staggering €520,000.
Today's ceremony was all about helping to heal and showing support for those directly impacted by the awful tragedy of the events of one year ago.
The people of this typical rural Irish town know they face further challenges in the coming months and years as more becomes known about the cause of the tragedy as well as the continued heartache of living life without loved ones.
But for now they must continue to find comfort and strength and face the future together as a community.
