Woman never got over twin\u2019s death in Carrickmines fire, funeral toldOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n\u201cShe couldn\u2019t get over it, just couldn\u2019t get over it,\u201d says Harry at his home. <\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to look after her. I told her: \u2018We are all going through it, Amanda; we will get through it together.\u2019 She said she had lost the other half of herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Josie Connors lived at the Carrickmines site and was there on the night of the fire, which killed her son Thomas, daughter-in-law Sylvia and three grandchildren. <\/p>\n
The couple\u2019s two surviving sons, Tom (now 14) and Mick (17) live with Josie at a housing scheme built by D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council just metres from the site. <\/p>\n
![\"Josie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DGNBXOI6WJPQFGPFU2ULCLQXNY.jpg\")
Josie Connors and with her grandson Thomas, then aged four, at a temporary home on Ballyogan Road, Leopardstown, in 2016. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons <\/p>\n
Tom was rescued from the fire by his then 14-year-old uncle. Mick had stayed in his grandparents\u2019 trailer that night.<\/p>\n
Asked how she feels about the coming anniversary, her face crumples. She bows her head and weeps for several minutes. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know how I am even here for it \u2013 I don\u2019t know.\u201d <\/p>\n
Her husband, Jim, died in recent years and she has been in bad health, especially in the past few months. She gets very depressed. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can be very miserable. That isn\u2019t even the word for it. I haven\u2019t a word big enough for it. Because it is not only me. Whatever way I manage, I am a bit older, but them young boys, I worry about them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
On the night of the fire, Tara, Willy and their children, who lived in a mobile home beside the Lynch family home, were visiting Thomas and Sylvia to celebrate a birthday. They brought Jimmy, who had sustained an injury some years previously, as he could not be left alone. <\/p>\n
The extended Connors family had lived at the site since 2008. It had been established by the council under emergency powers following the death of another of Josie\u2019s children, Michael, in a crash where they then lived by the side of the road in Sandyford in 2007. <\/p>\n
Sylvia and Thomas moved in with the council\u2019s knowledge, in 2015. <\/p>\n
The 2019 inquest heard the families had paid rent to the council. A council caretaker visited regularly. The site had electricity and a water supply, provided by the council, which had also laid hard ground for the mobile homes. <\/p>\n
On the night of the fire 29 people were staying at the site, some in trailers almost touching they were so close together. <\/p>\n
Concerns were raised about the fire brigade\u2019s access to a water hydrant, though the council insisted this had no material effect on the tragic outcome. <\/p>\n
In the aftermath of tragedy, books of condolences were opened around the country. <\/p>\n
The then taoiseach, Enda Kenny, visited the site as he ordered flags on government buildings be flown at half-mast for the funerals. <\/p>\n
![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/RZXKA2WYIFCJXELOYQXJZAAWPI.JPG\")
Harry Gilbert Fassaroe and Ben Lynch visit the graveyard in Bray. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n
Government ministers, TDs and a representative for President Michael D Higgins attended the funerals in Bray and Sandyford, at which messages of condolence from Pope Francis were read. <\/p>\n
The scale of the tragedy prompted debate about the unsafe and squalid conditions in which many Travellers lived, as it emerged that D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council was one of 15 local authorities that had drawn down no funding for Traveller accommodation that year.<\/p>\n
In the years since 2008 central funding for Traveller accommodation had collapsed, from \u20ac70 million in 2008 to \u20ac4.3 million in 2015<\/p>\n
Since then, though Traveller accommodation funding was ramped up \u2013 reaching \u20ac13 million by 2019 \u2013 funds drawn down by councils remained significantly below what was allocated. <\/p>\n
In 2019 just 66 per cent of the funding provided was spent by councils.<\/p>\n
Since 2020 funding procedures have changed and only the total spent is published, with amounts ranging from \u20ac14.5 million in 2020 to \u20ac29.8 million in 2023. Last year \u20ac20.9 million was spent on Traveller accommodation. <\/p>\n
Over the same period, the number of Traveller households have more than doubled since 2015, according to Department of Housing figures, from 6,109 to 12,367 in 2023. <\/p>\n
Numbers on unauthorised sites \u2013 which are by the side of the road, often without running water or secure electricity \u2013 have increased from 534 to 576 in the same period, with households \u201cdoubling up\u201d \u2013 meaning that they share halting site accommodation \u2013 increasing from 862 to 907. <\/p>\n
The numbers in official halting sites, group housing schemes and local authority housing and owner-occupied have also increased, though the numbers in private rented have fallen significantly, from 2,480 to 1,514.<\/p>\n
![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MP6VVGTJZRAHFENYWLTBUMWZFA.JPG\")
Harry Gilbert with framed photographs of Tara; Harry, Jodie and Kelsey; and Amanda, who took her own life following the fire. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n
In their homes the grieving families keep the memories of loved ones close. <\/p>\n
All speak of how \u201cgood\u201d and \u201chappy\u201d their families were before the fire and describe how they try to cope with the enormity of their grief.<\/p>\n
In Josie\u2019s home there is a large photo of Thomas and Sylvia on the livingroom wall. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think of them every day. Every time you look at the children, you\u2019re thinking about them. Tom is the very same as his dad,\u201d she says of one of the couple\u2019s two surviving sons.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is impossible not to think about them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think we got no justice for our family dying. It was brushed under the table<\/p>\n
\u2014 \u00a0Ben Lynch<\/p>\n
She struggles financially, on a widow\u2019s pension with additional supports coming in respect of the boys. In particular, she says, the house she rents from the council is cold. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have central heating but I am not able to pay for it. I would love an old range, to heat the rads and the water,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
She sleeps in the livingroom by the fire, as do the boys, in the winter. \u201cA stove \u2013 it would make a big difference to be warm here,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
She will bring the boys to the graves of their parents and siblings in Wexford for the anniversary. <\/p>\n
In the Gilbert home, photographs of twins Tara and Amanda, and Tara\u2019s children Jody and Kelsey are everywhere, alongside those of Harry\u2019s late wife, Dolores. <\/p>\n
![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3MZ3BZ6FIZGIXOZHAN4WNDY3BY.JPG\")
Harry Gilbert at the grave. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d say they were about 10 when their mother died,\u201d says Harry. \u201cIt was tough going at times. I\u2019d always be chasing them to clean up after themselves, worrying about them when they were out … We had a good life.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the years after his daughters\u2019 deaths, his work as a factory maintenance-man \u201crelaxed [his] mind\u201d. <\/p>\n
But he retired as Covid hit, in 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has started to hit me. Maybe now I could do with counselling. For years, still, it\u2019s like a dream really. You think: \u2018She\u2019ll be in the door in a minute\u2019 \u2013 but no. It is not happening. <\/p>\n
\u201cI see blond girls like Tara or Amanda in the street and think for a second, but no. <\/p>\n
\u201cI pray now every day,\u201d he says. \u201cI could cry now when you walk out that door. It is hard, very hard. It is like someone sticking a knife in you and you\u2019re not dead. The pain \u2013 I feel it. <\/p>\n
\u201cLoneliness is a terrible thing … For my grandchildren\u2019s sake I have to try to keep strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/RWSEISBHZJGG5NZMBQWLYWQF3U.JPG\")
Ben Lynch at the grotto he keeps in memory of his loved ones. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n
Ben Lynch, who is married with children, has built a grotto at their home in memory of the 10 and other family members who have died. <\/p>\n
He feels a huge sense of injustice about what happened. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is hard to believe they were left there in accommodation that was only meant to be a couple of months, and it went to years,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen when the fire brigade came, they couldn\u2019t get [quickly to] water. I think we got no justice for our family dying. It was brushed under the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
The wider Lynch family has been \u201cleft in an awful state\u201d since the fire, says Ben.<\/p>\n
\u201cLives have been destroyed. It is hard on everyone. Some don\u2019t even want to talk, some are angry, some are still very sad,\u201d says Lynch.<\/p>\n
For a long time he was afraid to go out in case something might happen to him, leaving his family bereft. <\/p>\n
Now, boxing-training helps his mental health. \u201cI do a lot of walking too. That helps me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
A memorial Mass for all who died as a result of the Carrickmines fire will be celebrated in Bray\u2019s Holy Redeemer Church at noon on Friday. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe anniversary is a very big thing for me,\u201d says Ben. \u201cThis was a tragedy but this is a celebration, saying we are still here and we won\u2019t forget about them.\u201d <\/p>\n
A spokeswoman for D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said a minute\u2019s silence would be observed at the council meeting on Monday, October 13th. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives,\u201d said the spokeswoman, \u201cand we remain committed to working with the Traveller community and Traveller support organisations in the provision of services to meet the needs of the Traveller community in the county.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Everything about next Friday will be \u201cdifficult\u201d, says Ben Lynch. It marks the 10th anniversary of the day…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62054,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42855,615,42,977,43,40,38,41,39,42856],"class_list":["post-62053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-carrickmines","tag-dublin","tag-headlines","tag-michael-d-higgins","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-travellers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62053\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/OYULK72VQRGUZEN4XJLXQ6Q3RI.JPG\")
A plaque in memory of family members who died in the fire. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n