Families of the victims in the 1981 Stardust nightclub fire in Dublin have urged the government to apologize following the verdict delivered by the new inquest. The inquest jury found the deaths of 48 people were ‘unlawful killings’. The original ruling in 1981 had said that an arson led to this disaster, but it was never accepted by the families of the victims. The recent hearing of the longest and the largest inquest in the Irish state found that the electrical fault in the hot press of the main bar caused the fire. The jury delivered its verdict following 11 days of deliberation.
Justice for Victims of Stardust, a group formed by the families, had campaigned for years and eventually obtained a fresh inquest. Maurice Frazer, whose sister was among those who died in the fire, thanked the families for their “tireless battle against the barriers and closed doors of Ireland’s political and justice systems, clinging to hope even when it seemed futile”. Alison Croker, whose sister Jacqueline was among the victims, said it was time that the Irish state apologized to the families for the systematic abuse they had endured. Following the verdict, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris described the fire as “one of the darkest moments in our history”. Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald said justice had taken a long time.
The inquest found that the nightclub ceiling height, materials in the bar, heavy smoke and lack of visibility contributed to the blaze, while victims found themselves impeded in their attempts to exit due to the locked emergency exits. Lack of preparedness of staff, failure of the emergency lighting system, and restricted knowledge added to the difficulty of leaving. Dr. Myra Cullinane, the coroner who headed the inquest, recognized the ongoing grief of relatives, explaining that the inquest was “in no small part due to the persistence and commitment of families over the years.” Dr. Cullinane said that the families had fought for justice for over four decades and called the inquest a vindication of the lives of the 48 young people who died on that fatal night.
The majority of those who died in the blaze were from Artane, Coolock and other parts of north Dublin. The inquest heard that 65 of the victims of the disaster were aged 14, 15 or 16, and the patrons who attended the disco meant for over-21s were 83% under that age. Eamon Butterly, the former manager of the Stardust, told the inquest that the exit doors at the venue had been locked until as late as midnight, meaning people were impeded when they tried to leave the building. A number of witnesses reported prior to the fire that they had seen electrical wiring exposed in a range of locations around the building
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