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All 48 victims of 1981 Dublin nightclub fire unlawfully killed, inquest finds All 48 victims of 1981 Dublin nightclub fire unlawfully killed, inquest finds
(about 1 hour later)
Dozens died when a blaze tore through Stardust nightclub in Artane on Valentine’s Day in 1981 Survivors and relatives of those who died in Stardust club on Valentine’s Day, 1981, wept and thanked jury
The 48 young people who died in the Stardust nightclub disaster in Dublin in 1981 were unlawfully killed, an inquest jury has found. Forty-eight young people were unlawfully killed after an electrical fault started an inferno at the Stardust nightclub in Dublin in 1981, an inquest jury has found.
The devastatingfire at the nightclub in Artane, north Dublin, broke out in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 1981. The jury delivered the verdict in a coroner’s court on Thursday more than four decades after a disaster considered one of the darkest moments in Ireland’s history.
On Thursday, the jury foreman at Dublin District coroner’s court said it had reached the same verdict of “unlawful killing” for each individual. Survivors and relatives of those who died applauded, wept and thanked the jury for a decision that appeared to deliver catharsis after a long quest for justice and accountability.
Some family members of the victims jumped to their feet and clapped at the verdict, while some were moved to tears as they remained in their seat. Others embraced each other as soon as the foreman said “unlawful killing”. The conflagration in the north Dublin suburb of Artane on Valentine’s night killed 48 people, aged 16 to 27, injured 214, and left questions over how it started and why it claimed so many victims.
The jury determined that the fire had originated in and started due to an electrical fault in the hot press in the bar. It was unable to determine when the fire started but said it was first seen outside the building between 1.20am and 1.40am. The jury concluded the fire stemmed from an electrical fault in the hot press in the bar of the Stardust Ballroom and that polyurethane foam seating and carpet tiles on the walls contributed to the fire’s spread.
Jurors said the fire was first seen inside the ballroom between 1.35am and 1.40am. Smoke, heat, lack of staff preparedness, ignorance of the building’s layout and emergency lighting failures impeded people’s ability to escape, the jury found. Asked if locked, chained or otherwise obstructed exits impeded the ability of any of the dead to escape, the jury foreman said “yes”.
The jury determined that polyurethane foam within seating, the height of the ceiling in a west alcove of the building and carpet tiles on the walls were contributory factors to the spread of the fire. After the verdicts relatives embraced and rose to applaud the jury, with one person shouting “thank you”. The inquest lasted 12 months.
However, it said the condition of the fire extinguishers was not a contributory factor. The jury said that lack of visibility due to black smoke, a lack of knowledge of the layout of the building, toxicity of the smoke and/or gases, the heat of the fire, failures of the emergency lighting system, lack of staff preparedness, and the speed of the spread of the fire were factors that impeded exit. Families said previous efforts, including a tribunal of inquiry, a victim compensation tribunal and two legislature-appointed reviews, were rushed, perfunctory or botched, reflecting official indifference to working-class communities.
Also asked if any of the deceased were impeded in their ability to exit due to locked, chained or otherwise obstructed exits, the jury said: “Yes.” The tribunal of inquiry that convened within three weeks of the fire found the “probable cause” was arson, outraging the families who said it smeared the dead and allowed the nightclub manager, Eamon Butterly, to claim £580,000 compensation for malicious damage. The arson finding was removed from the public record in 2009 but families said only a fresh inquest could absolve those who died.
Asked if this was a contributory factor in any of the deaths, the jury also said: “Yes.” The jury further recommended improved reviews of building regulations after the inquest. The coroner, Myra Cullinane, paid tribute to the families’ persistence in obtaining a fresh inquest. “To the families, I acknowledge the deaths of these 48 young people is a source of ongoing grief to those who loved them and it remains the defining loss of their lives.
After the verdicts were delivered, family members hugged their legal representatives. Others wiped away tears. One member of the jury became visibly emotional.
The coroner thanked the jurors for their service, stating that “the passing of years hasn’t diminished the horror of some of the evidence that you have heard”.
At that point, families of the victims stood up in unison and applauded the jury members at length, with one person shouting: “Thank you.”
The coroner, Dr Myra Cullinane, paid tribute to the “persistence and commitment” of the families who had campaigned for fresh inquests.
“To the families I acknowledge the deaths of these 48 young people is a source of ongoing grief to those who loved them and it remains the defining loss of their lives,” she said.
“However, I hope that family members will have taken some solace from the fact that these fresh inquests were held, that the facts surrounding the deaths were examined in detail, that moving testimony was heard from many of those involved in the events of the night and, most importantly, that you the families felt fully involved in proceedings, however difficult it was to hear all of the evidence.”“However, I hope that family members will have taken some solace from the fact that these fresh inquests were held, that the facts surrounding the deaths were examined in detail, that moving testimony was heard from many of those involved in the events of the night and, most importantly, that you the families felt fully involved in proceedings, however difficult it was to hear all of the evidence.”
The decision of the jury came after the foreman told Cullinane on Wednesday that majority verdicts had been reached after 11 days of deliberation. The coroner deferred the delivery of the verdicts until Thursday so family members could gather at the coroner’s court to hear the result. Families marched to the Garden of Remembrance carrying photographs of those who died and a black banner that said “they never came home”. Some called for a state apology over flaws in the investigation of the blaze and what they termed callousness towards survivors and relatives.
Directed by Ireland’s then-attorney general, Séamus Woulfe, the inquests have been the longest held in Ireland, with proceedings commencing a year ago. President Michael D Higgins said the inquest findings were a result of tireless campaigning. “I am very conscious that today will be a day of the deepest emotions for the loved ones of those who died. A day of vindication and of honour, but also a day of the deepest sadness and regret. I think in particular of those whose passing means this conclusion comes too late for them,” he said.
Speaking in Brussels on Thursday morning, the Irish premier, Simon Harris, said: “I’m extremely conscious of the fact that this must be an extraordinarily difficult and emotional day for all of the families involved, people who have sought justice, answers and truth for such a long period of time. The taoiseach, Simon Harris, said the families had carried the weight of the disaster with strength and dignity. “The Stardust tragedy was one of the darkest moments in our history, a heartbreaking tragedy because of the lives that were lost, the families that were changed forever, and the long, drawn-out struggle for justice that followed.
“As taoiseach, I certainly stand ready to interact and engage with those families.” “Their relentless pursuit of truth and accountability, their profound commitment to justice, even in the face of overwhelming challenges and setbacks, was not only a fight for their loved ones but a campaign to ensure that such a disaster never happens again.”
The government will consider the verdict and the jury’s recommendations, Harris said.