Fire drama to go ahead despite pleas

RTÉ plans to go ahead with its controversial drama on the 1981 Stardust fire despite emotional pleas by victims’ families to have it scrapped, it emerged tonight.

Several relatives of the 48 young people who died at the Valentine’s Day disco on Dublin’s northside claimed they were never consulted by the national broadcaster about the tragedy.

The two-part series is being screened on the 25th anniversary next month.

But RTÉ insisted tonight that it understood the sensitivity of the subject matter and reassured families that its drama would be a fitting tribute to victims and survivors of the Artane inferno.

“As the Public Service Broadcaster, RTÉ believes that this is an important story to tell,” a statement said tonight.

“RTÉ Television has decided to bring the story back into focus for public representatives and the viewing public in the lead up to the 25th anniversary, and thus add to the extensive range of news and current affairs programmes already broadcast by RTÉ over the past 20 years.

“RTÉ Television’s intention is to produce a fitting tribute to the lives lost, the sacrifices made, and the terrible suffering endured as a result of that dreadful February night in 1981.”

A spokesperson said the series would follow the well-established tradition of using drama to explore incidents in recent social history like ’Omagh’ on the 1998 Omagh bombing and ’Holy Cross' on the sectarian stand-off at Holy Cross School, Belfast.

“RTÉ Television understands that this subject matter is hugely sensitive and made genuine efforts to make contact with the families of victims of the Stardust tragedy,” the spokesperson added.

RTÉ said it held a meeting in September with the Stardust Legal Challenge Committee, which represents the majority of victims’ families.

The station agreed to screen the drama series for victims’ families prior to broadcast and to take on board all concerns of the families about technical details of the fire.

Based on the 2001 book, ‘They Never Came Home’ by Tony McCullagh and Neal Fetherstonhaugh, ’Stardust’ is being produced by Brackside/Merlin Films for RTÉ.