Stardust verdict "landmark day" - McEntee

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee says the verdict in the Stardust inquest is "a landmark day."

Verdicts of unlawful killing were returned at the Stardust inquests into the deaths of the 48 people in the 1981 nightclub fire.

The 12 person jury delivered the verdict of unlawful killing to a packed courtroom.

Families in court today cheered and applauded as the verdict was read out.

One of the victims was Ballinlough woman Kathleen Muldoon who was just 19 at the time of her death.

In a statement McEntee said:

"Today is a landmark day which I hope has brought answers, and some comfort, to the families and friends of the 48 young people who died in the Stardust fire on St. Valentine’s Day in 1981.

"All those affected have endured so much, and while I know the pain of such loss and suffering never fades, I hope they will feel they have today finally got to the truth of what happened.

"The Stardust fire was a national tragedy that has left a particular legacy of pain for the country and most particularly for the people of North Dublin.

"I sympathise greatly with the families of the 48 young people tragically killed in the fire for the terrible loss they suffered. I also recognise the lasting impact on everyone who attended that night and their families. I know so many of you today will be thinking of your parents and other relatives who never got over their terrible loss."

Thw Justice Minister said am important aspect of the inquest process was the very moving ‘Pen Portraits’ which gave each of the bereaved families "a chance to describe and celebrate the all too short lives of their loved ones."

She said the conclusion of these inquests will not bring back those who died that night - but that she hoped that it would "help their loved ones to achieve some small degree of closure and healing around this tragic event."

McEntee added:

"I am very grateful to the jurors who devoted a significant amount of time to their duties. I acknowledge their dedication to the inquest process, which often involved sitting through extremely distressing evidence.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Senior Dublin Coroner, Dr. Myra Cullinane, for her professionalism and sensitivity in conducting the inquests.

"The role of the Department of Justice is and has always been to support the Senior Dublin Coroner, who is, by law, fully independent in conducting the inquests.

"The Government will now consider the verdict and recommendations of the Jury."

The families of those who died in the 1981 Stardust nightclub fire gathered at Dublin coroner’s court today to hear the 48 verdicts as to how and why their loved ones died.

The 12-person jury reached majority verdicts in all cases, the foreman confirmed at the beginning of the hearing at the Pillar Room of the Rotunda Hospital, where the court has been sitting since April 2023.

The hearing worked through the 48 separate inquests over the course of the early afternoon. The findings with regards to date, identification and cause of death of victims were read in alphabetical order.

More than 90 days of evidence and testimony from 373 witnesses was heard in the inquiry into the deaths of 48 people, aged 16 to 27, in a fire in the north Dublin ballroom in the early hours of 14th February 1981. Five verdicts were available — accidental, misadventure, unlawful killing, open verdict and narrative.

Forty-two people died in the Stardust premises, and six people died following removal from the premises, the jury found.

The jury also found that at the time of the fire, exits in the Stardust Ballroom were either locked, chained, or otherwise obstructed. For this reason, the jury find that the deceased were impeded in their ability to access and/or exit through the emergency exits.