48 victims of Stardust fire were unlawfully killed, jury finds

In their findings, the jury said that the fire in the Stardust began in the hot press in the main bar, due to an electrical fault. They were not able to determine what time the fire started. They said that the polyurethane foam used in the seating and the height of the ceiling in the west alcove of the venue contributed to the spread of fire.

The jury also found that the carpet tiles used on the walls contributed to the spread of the fire, and that at least some of the exit doors were locked, chained or otherwise obstructed at the time of the fire. They said this impeded the ability to access emergency exits and exit through them for those who died.

However, it said the condition of the fire extinguishers was not a contributory factor.

The toxicity of the smoke, the heat of the fire and the lack of staff preparedness in the club also affected the ability of the deceased to exit the building, the jury found.

It was unable to determine when the blaze started but said it was first seen outside the building between 1.20am and 1.40am.

Jurors said the fire was first seen inside the ballroom between 1.35am and 1.40am.

The jury further recommended improved reviews of building regulations following the inquest.

In majority of the cases, the medical causes of death were recorded as due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat.

The findings mark the culmination of a decades-long journey for families and friends of the 48 people who lost their lives after a fire in the popular north Dublin ballroom in the early hours of February 14, 1981.

The verdicts also come almost a year to the day since the inquests first sat on April 25, 2023.

Some Stardust family members jumped to their feet and clapped at the verdict, while some sat in their seats and were moved to tears.

Others embraced each other as soon as “unlawful killing” was said by the foreman of the jury.

In her closing remarks, coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said that these were the longest inquests in the history of the Irish State. She paid tribute to the jury for dedicating their time across an entire year. 

“It has been a great act of public service on your part,” she said.

To the assembled families, she said: “I note this is a source of ongoing grief. And is the defining loss of their lives.” 

 She urged them to take solace from the fact that these fresh inquests were held and the facts examined in detail, “however difficult as it was to hear all the evidence”.

“The fact they’ve been held at all is in no small part due to persistence of family over the years,” Dr Culliane said. “We remember the 48 people who lost their lives. It is their lives we’ve sought to vindicate by way of these inquests.”

Afterwards, families called for a full public apology from the State over the way they have been treated over the years.

Alison Croker, whose older sister Jacqueline was killed in the Stardust fire, said she felt vindicated that “we’ve got truth, we’ve got the justice”.

She added: “Now I think it’s time that the Irish State actually apologise to each and every one of us for the systematic abuse that we’ve been put through having to relive this ordeal over and over again.”

Following the proceedings, families marched from the gates of the Rotunda to the Garden of Remembrance with 'You’ll Never Walk Alone' playing on a loudspeaker.

Solicitor Darragh Mackin, from Phoenix Law that represented all but one of the families, said the families “deserve an apology” from the Government for the years they had to wait for this verdict.

“We look forward to seeing the Taoiseach apologise to the families for what they have been put through,” he said.

In the Garden of Remembrance, families spoke about how the findings vindicated their loved ones after 43 years, bringing them the truth and justice they had long been denied. 

Louise McDermott, representing her mother Bridget who lost three children William, George and Marcella in the fire, said it was a very “emotional day”.

“I’d really like to say to the 48 now,” she said. "We’re taking you out of the flames, the darkness and the smoke of the Stardust, and we’re bringing you back to the sunshine and the light and the music. And you’re coming back to us.”

Maurice Frazer, whose sister Thelma died in the Stardust fire, called for a “meaningful public apology” from the State, describing the inquests into the deaths as a “turning point”.

“For 43 long years we’ve been relentless in a quest for justice for our dear sister Thelma, her boyfriend, Michael, and 46 others.

“We tirelessly battled against the barriers and the closed doors of Ireland’s political and justice systems, clinging to hope, even when it seemed futile. Finally those doors were broken open.

“Throughout this journey, families have endured the unbearable pain of losing parents, siblings and cherished friends, even decades later. For those decades, our hearts and minds have been shattered and the mental toll has been overwhelming and exhausting, persisting day after weary day.

“In 2009 the finding of the Stardust Tribunal 1981 of probable arson was finally removed. That’s 28 years later, 28 years of a loved one’s names smeared with a label of arson.

“This is why we, the families, need a meaningful public apology from the Irish State. Today marks a turning point, a step towards closure, healing, towards a future where justice prevails.” 

Antoinette Keegan, whose two sisters Mary and Martina died in the blaze, and who survived the fire herself, said it was an “overwhelming day”.

“This day is for the 48,” she said.

Deliberation

The foreman of the jury told Ms Cullinane on Wednesday that majority verdicts had been reached after 11 days of deliberation.

The coroner deferred the delivery of the verdicts until 2pm on Thursday to give family members of those who died in the tragedy time to gather at Dublin District Coroner’s Court.

Following a long and sustained campaign from families of victims, then-attorney general Seamus Woulfe in September 2019 granted the fresh inquests into the deaths of the 48 Stardust victims.

He said there had been an “insufficiency of inquiry” into their deaths at the original inquests in 1981 and directed the coroner to hold fresh inquests, saying that it was “in the public interest and in the interests of justice”.

Having sat for over 120 days, and heard from over 370 witnesses, the jury began deliberating on Wednesday, April 3, on their verdicts. During these inquests, the jury heard evidence from patrons there on the night, staff at the Stardust, emergency responders who rushed to the scene, pathologists and fire experts.

Ms Cullinane had told them there were five options open to them — accidental death, misadventure, unlawful killing, an open verdict and a narrative verdict.

Counsel on behalf of the families of victims, in closing submissions, urged the jury to return a verdict of unlawful killing, pointing to factors such as the carpet tiles placed on the walls contributing to the rapid spread of fire, the evidence of locks and chains on the exit doors and the lack of fire training for the staff at the Stardust.

On Wednesday, the foreman told Ms Cullinane that the jury’s seven women and five men could not reach a unanimous verdict.

The coroner then said she would accept a simple majority of seven and allowed the jury’s deliberations to continue. Fifteen minutes later, the jury returned and confirmed it had reached majority verdicts.

• additional reporting from PA