It’s just the Irish way!
Gemma attended a vigil in Brussels last week to remember those who lost their lives in the Creeslough tragedy. Her thoughts were very much back home in Ireland...
Tragedy is never easy, however it is particularly tough when you are away from home. Although I do not know anybody who died, the news still shook me so I can only imagine what it would be like to receive this phone call thousands of miles away from home. Freak incidents like this simply don’t happen in Ireland. I first saw the news on the Irish Times website along with the photo of the Applegreen store, identical to the one in Cavan. I thought of my course mates from Donegal, the girl who lives upstairs in my apartment in Brussels and the Donegal people I met in the local Irish pub. I hoped and prayed that none of them would be affected. Then I thought about how selfish this was because, of course, whether I knew the people or not, grief would come knocking on somebody’s door.
Despite living here for nearly five months, Tuesday was the first time I walked around the EU Commission buildings. My friend doing her internship there texted me, the Irish were organising a gathering to show their respect. The place is massive, but it wasn’t long before I heard the Irish accent echoing through the air. A group of people stood by a framed green poster with a map of Ireland and a heart over Donegal, which read ‘Europe stands with Creeslough'. Beside it was a table with a small Irish flag, a book of condolence and a candle.
It’s true that tragedy often brings people together, but this time it felt different. Despite the sun shining on a beautiful Autumn’s afternoon, the atmosphere was far from bright. People greeted each other with solemn faces and curt nods. One man in particular stood out with his shirt undone revealing a green and yellow Donegal jersey. His head was down, I couldn’t read his expression.
MEP Maria Walsh opened the vigil remembering those who were going about their daily lives when the explosion struck. She talked about children who were popping in for sweets after school. This description of an ordinary daily activity, which turned so tragic, was heart-breaking.
It was MEP Sean Kelly’s words that resonated most with me. He spoke of how everybody gathered together, the strong community spirit and how Irish people are very good in times of crisis. I had said the very same thing to a Dublin couple during my shift at the bar the previous week. The couple have been living in Belgium for years but, like me, they were truly proud to be Irish when they heard how the entire community rallied around offering help in any way possible. Every contractor in the area was there to help, a local café stayed open to provide food and water free of charge, the community stood together in those gruelling hours spent searching through the rubble. Each of us agreed, it was the Irish way.
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola offered her condolences and named out each of the 10 people who lost their lives on Friday, October 7. We were all given posters matching the one that was framed. We held them up in a moment's silence.
Just like that, the vigil was over. Life resumed. People shook hands, took photos and returned to their working day. Interns chatted and made plans to skive off for coffee. Everybody got on with their day, but life will never return to normal for the community of Creeslough.
Working in an international environment, my colleagues have lived through many natural disasters and even terrorist attacks, but again this sort of thing doesn’t happen in Ireland. Some wondered why I would go to pay my respects when I didn’t know anybody affected by the tragedy.
As an Irish person living away from home, of course I wanted to show my respects. I explained that vigils, moments of silence, lighting candles and marks of respect like this are commonplace in Ireland. I’m not sure if people do this in other countries but I think it’s nice to let people know that you are thinking of them.
I want to send my deepest condolences to those affected by this tragedy, at home and abroad.
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