Community rallies around family after fatal Galway house fire

A North Galway community is rallying around a mother and her teenage son who are now homeless following a tragic fire which claimed the life of the woman’s 87 year mother.

Efforts are underway to secure accommodation for the mother and son who were hospitalised following the blaze that killed Nora (Nonie) Dolan at their home in Brierfield – between Tuam and Moylough.

It is understood that an electrical fault may be to blame for the fire but this has not yet been confirmed by the Garda forensic team who were at the scene most of Tuesday.

Nonie worked in England most of her life and returned home to her native Brierfield with her Scottish husband George Wilson and built a family home. George died around ten years ago.

Her daughter Caroline Wilson and Caroline’s son Ryan lived with Nonie and they raised the alarm late on Monday night when the fire was discovered. The fire spread through the house rapidly and it prevented any possible rescue of the pensioner.

The scene was attended by fire units from Tuam and Mountbellew while Caroline and Ryan were taken to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe where they were being treated for smoke inhalation. But the local community are now worried about where they will live when released from hospital.

Neighbours and the local community are now lobbying politicians to ensure that the mother and son have a place to stay on their release from hospital.

The house has been destroyed by the fire. “It was a furnace”, remarked neighbour Olive Crowe who said that efforts were now being made locally to try and find them a place to stay.

Mrs Crowe said that it was an awful thing to happen in a local community and described Nonie as a very popular neighbour. Nonie worked as a carer in London. “It came as an awful shock when we got the knock on the door”, Olive told The Connacht Tribune.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.