New venue selected for Stardust hearing

Tributes to the 48 victims of the Stardust nightclub fire in Dublin on Valentine's day in 1981, outside Leinster House in Dublin..

A new venue for the Stardust Inquest has been selected, with the hearings to take place at Dublin's Rotunda Hospital.

The contract for the current venue, Dublin's RDS, is due to expire this month and the Coroner's office has been liaising with the Office of Public Works with a view to securing a new appropriate venue.

The inquest into the blaze, which killed 48 young people on Valentine's Day in 1981, is tipped to be the longest and largest in the history of the state.

A letter from the Deputy General Secretary in the Department of Justice, Oonagh Buckley to Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane, and seen by the Irish Examiner, confirmed that a number of venues were considered and one has now been secured, subject to finalization of the licence agreement.

"Accordingly, I can advise that the Pillar Room at the Rotunda Hospital, located at the end of O’Connell Street, in the heart of the city, has been secured to facilitate the Inquests," the letter reads.

The Pillar Room in the Rotunda has in the past been frequently used for conferences, receptions and other events.

"It is felt that this venue provides an appropriate setting and is of sufficient scale to accommodate the inquests. It is also centrally located, making it an easily accessible venue for the families and other participants," Ms Buckley added.

The new inquest into the fire tragedy has been mired in controversy and delays since its inception due to ongoing rows over funding.

Data released under a freedom of information request in September stated that the Department of Justice has spent €1.5m of the €8m allocated in total on the inquest, without one official inquest being heard.

The popular nightclub in Artane, Dublin, was destroyed in a blaze on Valentine’s Day in 1981 in what is considered the worst fire disaster in the history of the state.

Investigations into the fire showed that a number of escape routes from the dance hall were blocked as emergency doors were locked by chains. Concerns have also been raised about the investigation of the scene, which allowed politicians and media to walk through the building just hours later.

Despite findings of safety breaches, there were no prosecutions over the incident.

An initial finding of probable arson meant that the relatives of the dead and injured were unable to sue the club owners and operators for alleged negligence.