'The Stardust fire ripped through the core of our beings': families tell inquest of ongoing grief

Members of the Keegan family (L to r) Suzanne, Antoinette and Lorraine at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin's City Centre. before the Coroners Court inquest into the Stardust tragedy at the Roundroom in the Rotunda Hospital.

“Like a tornado, the Stardust fire ripped through the core of our beings, wreaking havoc and utter devastation in its wake, leaving nothing untouched, be it our home, our lives, our relationships, our education, our future, our outlook on life, in fact, our everything.”

Those words of grieving mother Gertrude Barrett, mother of Michael Barrett, began the opening of the long-awaited and fervently-sought fresh inquests for the 48 people who died in the Stardust fire. It was a day when tears of 42 years' worth of agony and pain spilled out at Dublin District Coroner's Court.