Stardust inquest: 92-year-old mother of victim asked for daughter 'with her dying breath'

Relatives of those killed in the Stardust fire at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin ahead of the first day of the inquest on April 25.

The mother of one of the Stardust victims asked for her daughter “with her dying breath” when she passed away aged 92 last summer, the Coroner’s Court has heard.

Margaret Kiernan, who died in the blaze at the Stardust Ballroom on February 14, 1981, was remembered on Tuesday as a “kind and sensitive soul” who loved her family.

The inquest heard the night of the Stardust fire was the night that “broke our family”, as Margaret’s brothers Jimmy and John spent the following days searching the hospitals and then the morgue, “hoping against hope” she might still be alive.

In a portrait read to the inquest on Tuesday by Margaret’s best friend Deirdre Dames on behalf of the Kiernan family, Margaret was described as someone who had a vast number of friends through her love of sports and socialising.

Ms Dames told how Margaret was “like a sister” to her and how they had formed a connection from the first day they met in school.

Margaret had a great sense of humour and style and was a real girlie girl in every way, she said.

In his pen portrait read by Ms Dames, Jimmy remembered his sister as someone who loved having fun. She loved music and “used to scream out a version of Roxanne”.

“Like most young girls, she dreamed of just being happy, getting married and having children. And moving into a house next to Deirdre,” Jimmy said.

He told how the funeral brought the reality of what had happened home. 

We were never going to see our baby sister again. My parents at the time were inconsolable and suicidal. They were never the same people after that terrible night.” 

Jimmy said both he and his brother John’s families feel like they know Margaret as they were brought up with memories of their aunt.

He said there was not a single day where his mother didn’t speak about Margaret, usually with tears in her eyes.

John remembered his sister as someone who had a wide circle of friends and who was popular in her new job. He said Margaret introduced him to a lot of her friends and even encouraged him to date the woman who is now his wife.

John said the night Margaret was killed his mother and father also had their lives taken from them. “The spirit went from both of them and they would never be the same people again.” 

John said his biggest regret was that after 41 years, the family are still are searching for justice. 

As was pointed out recently, if this happened in a more affluent area the case would have been solved at the outset”.

He said their mother had passed away on June 14, 2022, aged 92, and was asking for Margaret with her dying breath. “Hopefully Margaret is reunited with mam and dad and with the right outcome of this court,” he added.

Sandra Lawless pen portrait

In a separate pen portrait, Sandra Lawless, 18, was remembered by her family today as a “kind, funny and selfless” girl who loved life.

Sandra was a girl guide leader and champion swimmer who loved the outdoors and hiking, her brother Brendan Lawless told the Coroner’s Court.

A poster featuring the faces of all 48 Stardust victims on the wall of the courtroom at the Rotunda Hospital, where the inquest is taking place. Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

In a portrait delivered to the inquest on behalf of the Lawless family, Brendan described Sandra as a beautiful, loving and caring daughter to her parents Bridget and Paul and to siblings Annette, Valerie, Paul, Brian, Brendan and Fidelma.

He said Sandra loved outdoor activities and the outdoor life. At the time of the Stardust, she worked at Guilt Edge making toys with her sister Valerie and her auntie Vivie.

Brendan said Sandra would make Valerie’s lunch and iron her clothes every morning before they went to work.

He said Valerie remembers how much Sandra loved hiking in the Dublin mountains and how big a help she was when she acted as chief bridesmaid at Valerie’s wedding, picking out the flowers and the dresses.

Brendan said their brother Brian remembers Sandra as a kind, selfless and outgoing person who would always put the needs of others before her own.

He said before the fire, Sandra had given Brian 65 pence to buy a Valentine's card for his "imaginary girlfriend" and that his brother still treasures those coins today because he never got to use them.

Brendan said what he remembers most about Sandra is her kind heart. She always helped their mother to look after the younger children, he said, and always had a smile on her face.

He said the last gift Sandra ever gave him was the Clash’s London Calling album the Christmas before she died. He said he still finds it hard to believe an 18-year-old would buy her 12-year-old brother such a classic present.

Brendan said over the years going through some of her mementos, the family found her Christmas list with thoughtful presents listed for everyone in the family.

He said Sandra was like a “second mother” to Fidelma, the youngest sibling, whom she “doted on” and had a special bond with.

He said the week before the Stardust was Fidelma’s eighth birthday and Sandra treated her to a day’s shopping in Clerys where she bought her a beautiful baby doll's sleeping carriage with a lace canopy and lace coverings.

“Fidelma always remembers feeling so special playing with it with her friends,” he said.

He said their father Paul will always remember Sandra as the kind, thoughtful, happy-go-lucky daughter who loved hiking and camping and remembers many trips to the Dublin mountains with Sandra by his side.

Brendan said on the night of the fire their mother became concerned when Sandra didn’t arrive home at her usual time and a short time later a friend called to the house to say there had been a fire.

He said his dad searched every hospital for Sandra over the next few days, hearing “the screams and cries of those injured and burnt”, while looking and hoping to find his own daughter among the crowds of people. This was “traumatic and devastating,” for his father, Brendan said.

He eventually went to the city morgue the following Monday where Sandra’s jewellery was identified.

“That day all our lives changed forever,” Brendan said, adding that while the tragedy had affected each family member in different ways, the one word they all had in common was “heartbroken”.

He said his parents were devastated by what happened, as they all were, and nobody knew how to react or cope.

Brendan said there was no professional help or counselling for families, and no one knew if they were saying or doing the right things.

However, he said the family helped and supported each other through the ordeal.

“We are a strong, close-knit, united family. We have been through a hell of a lot but we are still here in unity.” 

He said the family have lost their mother Bridget, sister Annette and brother Paul in the years since the fire but said their deceased relatives would have loved to see this day come after all the years of fighting for justice for their loved ones.

“We hope these inquests will give us the answers we have waited over 41 years to receive," said Brendan. "No matter what the outcome, Sandra will always have a place in our hearts.”