Stardust fire investigation amounted to 'State-sponsored cover up', preliminary hearing told

Suzanne Keegan, Lorraine and Antoinette Keegan whos sisters Mary (19) and Martina (16) died in the blaze. Relatives of those killed and injured in the Stardust fire in north Dublin 40 years ago have spoken of their hope that a new inquest can answer their questions about how and why the tragedy happened. Picture: Karen Morgan

A pre-inquest hearing concerning the Stardust nightclub tragedy in which 48 people died has heard that the aftermath of the 1981 fire amounted to a “State-sponsored” cover up.

Solicitor for 44 of the affected families Darragh Mackin told Dublin Coroner’s Court that “these families who have fought for 39 years have met obstacle after obstacle, in what we will say was a State-sponsored effort to cover up what happened”.