There were emotional scenes at Dublin District Coroner’s Court as it was announced that a verdict of unlawful killing had been reached for all 48 victims of the Stardust fire.
A fire broke out at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, north county Dublin, in the early hours of February 14, 1981. Forty-eight people, aged between 16 and 27, died in the St Valentines Day disaster.
The jury made up of seven women and five men returned its verdict after deliberating for 11 days over the course of three weeks, with the foreman saying it had reached the same verdict into the deaths of each individual.
Some of the family members present jumped to their feet, applauding as the verdicts were read out, while others remained in their seats in silent tears.
The cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical fault that began in the hot press, which went against the 1982 Keane Tribunal finding that the fire was “probably caused deliberately”. The jury also found that polyeurthane and carpet tiles on the nightclub’s walls, among other things, contributed to the spread of the fire.
The exits in the ballroom were either locked, chained or obstructed by some other means when the fire broke out, the jury found.
The verdicts mark the end of an over 40-year long journey for the loved ones of those killed that February morning, and follows a long campaign by the families of the victims.
In September 2019, then-attorney general Seamus Woulfe granted fresh inquests into the 48 deaths, saying that there had been an “insufficiency of inquiry” at the original 1981 inquests.
These inquests sat for over 120 days and heard testimony from 370 witnesses.
Coroner, Dr Myra Cullinane said they were the longest running inquests in the State’s history and that the jurors had stood outside their everyday lives to attend court.
“To the families, I acknowledge the deaths of these 48 young people is a source of ongoing grief to those who loved them and it remains the defining loss of their lives,” she said.
“However, I hope that family members will have taken some solace from the fact that these fresh inquests were held, that the facts surrounding the deaths were examined in detail, that moving testimony was heard from many of those involved in the events of the night and, most importantly, that you the families felt fully involved in proceedings, however difficult it was to hear all of the evidence.
“The fact that these inquests have been held at all is in no small part due to the persistence and commitment of families over the years.”
Following the announcement, Taoiseach Simon Harris described the Stardust fire as “one of the darkest moments in our history” and a “heartbreaking tragedy”.
“Today we remember the 48 people who lost their lives, all those who were injured, and all those whose lives were marked forever by the tragedy,” Mr Harris said.
“For over four decades, the families of the victims have carried the weight of this tragedy with unwavering strength and dignity. Their relentless pursuit of truth and accountability, their profound commitment to justice, even in the face of overwhelming challenges and setbacks, was not only a fight for their loved ones but a campaign to ensure that such a disaster never happens again.
“48 young people never came home that night, but as Taoiseach I want to say this to their families; You never gave up on justice for them, you never let Ireland forget about them. They were never alone, and our country owes you a great debt for that,” the taoiseach said.
He added that Government will consider the verdict in full and the recommendations of the jury, thanking the coroner and the jurors.