Victims of Stardust fire remembered at vigil to mark 45th anniversary of Dublin tragedy

Stardust activist and survivor Antoinette Keegan, who lost two sisters in the fire, lays flowers during the vigil. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The 48 young people who died in the Stardust fire were remembered at a vigil on Saturday, as loved ones and survivors gathered to mark the 45th anniversary of the tragedy in north Dublin.

They were joined by representatives from the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, National Ambulance Service and Dublin Fire Brigade for the event on the site of the former nightclub in Artane.

The names of each of those who died were read out by Claire Bird, wife of the late RTÉ journalist Charlie Bird, who had been a long-time campaigner for the Stardust families.

And, after 48 seconds of silence, the Dublin Fire Brigade vehicles present aired their sirens reminiscent of how many emergency services rushed to the scene on the night 45 years ago, before wreaths were laid at the mural dedicated to the victims.

In the early hours of Valentine’s Day 1981, a fire spread quickly through the Stardust in Artane, a popular venue for young people in Dublin at the time.

A disco dancing competition had just concluded when the first flames were spotted.

In all, 48 people died in the fire. Most were local to the area, and the average age was just 19. Hundreds more were injured. In the aftermath, patrons on the night described emergency exits being locked or blocked when they tried to escape.

Members of the emergency services and army veterans salute at the scene of the Stardust fire. Picture: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

The first Tribunal of Inquiry into the disaster came to a finding that the “probable” cause of the fire was arson, but this was rejected by the families of the deceased.

After decades of campaigning, fresh inquests were established into the fire in 2019, culminating with the verdicts in April 2024 that each of the 48 people were unlawfully killed.

“It was the biggest disaster in the history of the Irish State,” Maurice McHugh, whose only child Caroline died in the fire aged just 17, said on Saturday. “And here we are today doing a commemoration to our loved ones.

“We want to take this opportunity to express a very sincere thanks to the coroner Dr Myra Cullinane, her staff and the jury for the very thorough inquest which lasted 122 days and concluded on 18 April 2024 when the jury delivered the verdict of unlawful killing to all 48 victims.” 

Antoinette Keegan, who had attended the Stardust on the night with two of her sisters who died in the fire, gave a special thanks to the front line emergency services members who would have all been at this same spot 45 years ago.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the Dublin Fire Brigade, to Defence Forces veterans, An Garda Síochána and the National Ambulance Service for attending her today to join us and commemorate the loss of our beautiful, beloved loved ones who were unlawfully killed on this very site,” she said.

Earlier, several family members of the deceased had gathered at Dublin’s Coroners Court, where the bodies of those who died in the fire were taken in the aftermath when the building was still being used as the city morgue.

It included Gertrude Barrett, whose son Michael was working as an assistant DJ on the night and died in the fire, and her daughter Carol.

They said justice has not been served for the 48 victims of the fire, as they demanded accountability.

Earlier this week, gardaí said that a review into the case is still being “actively pursued” while a redress scheme announced by the Government of €20,000 for survivors of the tragedy was criticised for a lack of consultation with those affected and its “one-size-fits-all" approach to the event.