Long-awaited Stardust inquest to begin in April

Gardaí survey the scene of the Stardust fire disaster in 1981.

The long-awaited new inquests into the 48 people who died in the Stardust fire will commence on April 19, families have been told.

At the 17th pre-inquest hearing this afternoon, Dublin city coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said that the jury will be empanelled on April 17 before proceedings formally get underway two days later.

Addressing the families in court today, Dr Cullinane said: “This must be something you can at least take some heart in. I know it’s been a very long wait for you.” 

The fresh inquests into the tragedy, which will re-examine the circumstances related to the death of 48 young people who died following a fire at the north Dublin nightclub in February 1981, were first ordered by the Attorney General in September 2019.

In the early hours of February 14, 1981, at the close of a Valentine’s disco dancing competition, a fire ripped through the venue in Artane. Hundreds were injured along with the deceased.

Survivors and families of the deceased had long campaigned for fresh inquiries into the disaster, and the Attorney General said there’d been an “insufficiency of inquiry” as to how the deaths occurred in the original inquests.

However, despite being ordered over three years ago, the inquests have yet to get formally underway.

Legal challenge

Last year, the former manager of the Stardust brought a High Court challenge related to the inquests. Lawyers for Eamon Butterly sought the judicial review to prevent the coroner from conducting the inquest in a way in which he believed would make him "a target for a verdict of unlawful killing".

Mr Butterly failed in this legal bid, and Mr Justice Charles Meenan said “it is for the coroner, having heard all the evidence, who gave the evidence, and considered the submissions of the parties, to direct the jury as to the permissible verdicts”.

At today’s pre-inquest hearing, Dr Cullinane outlined the process whereby the evidence of people who are now deceased or those who are unable to give oral evidence to the court will be admitted.

“Families and interested parties will understand that as this fire occurred over 41 years ago, a number of witnesses will no longer be alive,” she said. “Their evidence is of some importance and should be placed before the jury to assist them in the role they have.” Dr Cullinane said the jury’s task would be “greatly hampered” if all such evidence was excluded.

She said that 42 witnesses are known to be deceased and that canvassing is ongoing in relation to around 100 more witnesses.

She said it’s likely that a certain number of those remaining will be unavailable to the court, but that number is not yet known.

Right to challenge evidence

The coroner said that legal counsel will have the right to challenge the inclusion of such evidence from a particular person, such as their original statement to gardaí. She said she hoped such matters could be dealt with “well in advance” should they arise.

Furthermore, she said that she doesn’t anticipate there will be many more pre-inquest hearings before proceedings get under way.

One future hearing will deal with the issue of expert evidence, while another will focus on how all parties are prepared for the inquests to get underway.

Phoenix Law, which represents most of the families of victims, noted that they were “anxious to keep things moving”.

The 42nd anniversary of the Stardust fire falls next month.