A remembrance event will take place in Letterkenny, Co Donegal this weekend marking the 40th anniversary of a house fire that claimed the lives of five people: four children, all brothers and sisters, aged under 14, and their babysitter.
On the morning of 26 April 1986, a blaze engulfed the terraced home of Joe and Angela O'Donnell, claiming the lives of siblings Sharon (14), Joanne (12), Adrian (4) and baby Kevin (20 months), and Noreen O’Donnell (25).
The tragedy at Ard O’Donnell left parents Joe and Angela, their surviving children Philip, Patrick and Joseph, as well as friends and the community, devastated.
A musical tribute at St Eunan’s Cathedral this Sunday is intended to honour the lives lost and acknowledge the support the O’Donnell family say they received over the past four decades.
"It’s a celebration of their lives, a celebration that we have survived and a thank you to the community," Angela O'Donnell told RTÉ News.
She said that that tragic day does not seem like 40 years ago, adding: "it’s a thought that’s with you all the time."
Her husband Joe, agreed. "Obviously, we still miss our children. You never get over it. But, you learn to live with it. I would like to thank the people that were there through those years," he said.
They recalled the events of that Saturday morning unfolded with terrifying speed. Joe said he was woken by Noreen O’Donnell shouting there was a fire downstairs.
"We got out of bed and went straight down," he said. "The living room was a ball of flame. I wanted to turn to get back up and I couldn’t with the smoke coming down."
"It went up like a matchstick," Angela said. "We were down the stairs less than five minutes, but we couldn’t get back up again. You couldn’t even get into the front door."
Their son, Philip, who was 13 at the time, recalls the efforts of those present and the support of neighbours and friends.
"The fire brigade arrived within minutes. They did everything, physically possibly within their power with the resources that they were working with that morning."
Philip remembers his siblings with warmth, clarity and love. He describes Sharon as "a character and a second mother."
"Joanne was academic and athletic, with a love of books and swimming. Adrian was quiet and gentle. Kevin was still a baby, always happiest being carried."
And Noreen, he adds, was "selfless" - a family friend who "paid the ultimate price".
The O’Donnell family told RTÉ News they were met with an outpouring of support that remains etched in their memory, following the tragedy.
"We had nothing when we came out," Angela said. "Within a couple of hours, we had everything. The community rallied. It was unbelievable."
That support did not fade with time. In the months after the tragedy, their home was rarely empty.
"For the first year, we never went to bed before 1 o’clock in the morning," Joe recalls.
"There was always somebody in the house. It shortened the nights because they were long," he added.
The four children who died were laid to rest just two days after the fire - something both Joe and Angela believe was too quick.
"You need time for it to sink in," Angela said. "I would never advise anybody to go from a tragedy on a Saturday to a burial on a Monday. It was much too quick."
Joe agreed, adding that there "were so many people who came to offer their condolences from all over" and that "time ran out too quickly."
The family returned to their home after it was rebuilt. The birth of a daughter the following year brought a new sense of light into their lives.
"She wasn’t a replacement, but she brought so much joy to us," Angela said.
"A lot of joy," Joe nodded.
The family later spent some years in England before settling again in Letterkenny.
"We needed that break," Angela said. "After the fire, there were always people around us. It was good to be on our own for a while, just us and the boys."
Even so, the years that followed were marked by absence - the empty chairs at birthdays and Christmas, the milestones that never came.
"You’re prepared for those days," Angela said.
"It’s days you meet Sharon’s friends and Joanne’s friends, and they have their families now, and you think of what might have been."
Philip said the children grew up surrounded by a network of support.
"We missed out on nothing," he said. "Mum and Dad’s friends stepped in when needed. We were always encouraged to do our best."
As the anniversary approaches, Angela said remembrance is also deeply personal. She prefers quiet visits to the graveyard, away from crowds.
"I like to be on my own and talk to them," she said. "That might sound morbid, but it’s how I remember them."
Joe also draws comfort from his strong faith.
"I believe they’re in heaven," he said. "That’s where they are."
Both Angela and Joe spoke fondly of the support they received from then Bishop Seamus Hegarty, now deceased.
Both, however, share the same message about grief - that it does not disappear, but one learns to live with it. Angela said she talks about them regularly.
"Our kids are mentioned almost daily. We talk about them as if they’re still here. It’s a slow process. You never get over it, but you learn to live with it," she said.
Joe said the support of family and friends, and taking life a day at a time, has helped.
"We have survived and you will survive with the help of friends and people. We were fortunate that we had good, sensible people [around us].
"You learn to live with it a day at a time and that’s the important one," he said.
This weekend’s events will bring together family, friends and the wider community - many of whom have remained a constant presence over the past 40 years.
"I would like to thank the people who were there through those years," Joe said. "Only for them, we probably would never have survived."
A remembrance mass celebrated by Fr John Joe Duffy will be held at St Eunan’s Cathedral at 4pm today and a concert, organised by a local committee, will take place in the cathedral at 3pm tomorrow.
It will feature Margo, Shaunie Crampsie, Sinéad and Alex Black, Kyra and Joe Joe O’Donnell, Ruairi Gallagher and local choirs.
"It’s about hope," Philip said. "A memory of those we lost, but also a celebration of the lives that carried on - and the people who carried us when we couldn’t carry ourselves."
