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'The grieving is absolutely unreal': Travelling community devastated after Clondalkin fire

The fire claimed the lives of four people when it broke out early yesterday morning.

000db8f7-800 Annemarie O'Brien (bottom left), her daughter Paris (top left) and her niece and nephew Holly and Jordan all died in the fire in March 2017. Facebook Facebook

Updated 5.20pm

MEMBERS OF THE Travelling community have said they are devastated by the deaths of a young mother and three children in a fire in Clondalkin yesterday.

Jim O’Brien of the Bray Travellers Community Development Group told RTÉ News the “grieving is absolutely unreal”.

Annmarie O’Brien (27) and her daughter Paris O’Brien (2) both died following the fire. Annmarie was also seven months pregnant.

Three year-old Holly also died in the blaze. Her brother Jordan (4) was taken to hospital with critical injuries and died yesterday evening.

Their mother Biddy O’Brien remains in hospital following the fire, her condition is described as critical. All four who died are originally from the Bray area in Co Wicklow.

A garda investigation into what caused the fire is continuing.

Jim O’Brien told RTÉ the tragedy had reopened the wounds of the Travelling community, who were still coming to terms with the deaths of 10 people in a fire at a halting site in Carrickmines in October 2015. The victims of both tragedies were related.

He said words cannot describe the devastation and hurt the families are going through, adding that a mass was held yesterday for Travellers to pray for those who died and for Biddy’s recovery.

Cluainin Cronan

Earlier, it was confirmed that three families who had been staying at the complex where the fire broke out have been rehoused.

Families staying at the Cluainin Cronan facility on Kilcronan Avenue, Clondalkin, were successfully re-housed yesterday following the blaze, which broke out in one apartment unit.

Cluainin Cronan is a step-down supported social housing complex operated by domestic abuse support charity Sonas.

The facility is for women and families that have moved on from a crisis refuge centre. The purpose of the facility is for families to prepare to move back to normal life.

The entire development is made up of six two-storey houses and an apartment complex with four apartments (so 10 units in total).

Speaking this morning to TheJournal.ie, Fiona Ryan, CEO of Sonas, said the charity had been “lucky” and had managed to find suitable alternative accommodation for the three families.

“We were able to get the families into our refuge and other step-down facilities,” said Ryan.

We were very lucky as we had vacancies in some of our facilities.

Ryan said that Sonas was working to support the emotional needs of the families, who had been through a traumatic experience.

TheJournal.ie / YouTube

Speaking today on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, local Sinn Féin TD John Brady expressed his condolences for the victims’ families.

“Can I just express my condolences to both families and their friends who are really deeply stricken by this dreadful, terrible event that unfolded before our eyes,” he said.

Brady said that the O’Brien family were related to the victims of the Carrickmines fire.

“It has reopened very, very painful memories of recent tragedies that have taken members of the travelling community in Carrickmines to which the O’Brien families are related,” he said.

With reporting by Órla Ryan

Read: Woman and two young girls killed in overnight apartment fire >

Read: Victims of Clondalkin fire named as death toll reaches four

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14 Comments
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    Mute Yorkie1892
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:17 AM

    Even more tragic now that they were related to people in carrickmines. Heartbreaking RIP

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    Mute niall
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    Mar 9th 2017, 11:46 AM

    Heartbreaking.

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    Mute Cora Brooks
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    Mar 9th 2017, 1:52 PM

    So sad R.I.P

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    Mute Emmet O'Keeffe
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    Mar 9th 2017, 5:57 PM

    Heartbreaking.

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    Mute EddielvsElizabeth Sweeney
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    Mar 9th 2017, 6:24 PM

    God rest their souls. So sad x

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    Mute Stephen Rogan
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    Mar 10th 2017, 12:20 AM

    How do so many red thumbs appear for the compassionate comments posted here? I’m asking that as a legitimate question that I would really like to get an answer for. How does a one-word comment that says “Heartbreaking” receive – as at the time I am posting this – 33 red thumbs?? What is going through so many people’s minds when they read an RIP post that they go and red thumb it?

    This is an incredibly tragic and sad human story, which, when put into the context of other related tragedies, is inconceivably heartbreaking.

    Little kids and young mums – with one pregnant – have died in a terrible way. So maybe my question should be: what is the matter with you people?

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    Mute Eddie Leinster Byrne
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    Mar 10th 2017, 4:13 AM

    @Stephen Rogan: Check out Emmet O’Keefe’s profile on fb.

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    Mute Philip foster
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    Mar 9th 2017, 7:45 PM

    So sad heartbreaking 4 life’s lost RIP

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    Mute Neil Lowery
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    Mar 10th 2017, 8:41 AM

    Very sad news. Condolences to all involved.
    R.I.P

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    Mute Pat Stuart
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    Mar 10th 2017, 1:32 AM

    Terrible News for that family in Bray, how bad can things get RIP.

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    Mute Paul Whelan
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    Mar 10th 2017, 8:19 AM

    What was the reason the family were in this accommodation in the first place

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    Mute B Collins
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    Mar 10th 2017, 12:26 AM

    What a tragedy. Sickening. The poor mother, if she recovers… You’d never get over that.

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    Mute June Rose-Sommer
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    Mar 10th 2017, 10:30 AM

    Heartbreaking!! Awful tragedy!! God love them. Condolences to the families. R.I.P

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