1981 Stardust nightclub disaster: Unlawful killing verdicts returned for all 48 victims, coroner rules

All 48 people who died in the 1981 Dublin nightclub disaster were ‘unlawfully killed’, it has been ruled. The jury at Dublin District Coroner’s Court delivered the verdicts on Thursday (April 18) following 11 days of deliberation into the inquests of the devastating fire at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, north Dublin which broke out in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 43 years ago.

The jury foreman confirmed that the fire originated from an electrical fault in the hot press of the nightclub, family members appeared to breathe sighs of relief. When the jury foreman went on to confirm their verdict that the carpet tiles on the walls were a contributory factor to the spread of the fire, and that some people had been impeded in their ability to exit the nightclub due to locked, chained or obstructed exits, and that this was a contributory factor in some of the deaths, family members sighed once more.

The fresh inquests, which were directed by Ireland’s attorney general, have been the longest held in Ireland, with proceedings commencing one year ago. On Wednesday, the foreman told Ms Cullinane that the jury’s seven women and five men could not reach a unanimous verdict.

The coroner then said she would accept a simple majority of seven and allowed the jury’s deliberations to continue. Fifteen minutes later, the jury returned and confirmed it had reached majority verdicts.

After the verdicts were delivered, family members hugged their legal representatives, with others wiping away tears and one member of the jury became visibly emotional. The coroner thanked the jury 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”.

Ms Cullinane said she would defer the announcement of the verdicts and findings to Thursday to allow interested persons and family members to make arrangements to attend court or watch online.

Speaking in Brussels on Thursday morning, 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.

“As Taoiseach, I certainly stand ready to interact and engage with those families once the outcome of the inquest comes through today, but let’s have that first out of respect for the families and their longstanding campaign for truth and justice.”

In the Irish parliament, Leaders’ Questions at noon began with Irish deputy premier Micheal Martin and Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty stating that their thoughts were with the families of those who died in the Stardust fire.

Mr Doherty said: “They have waited, as we all know, four decades to answers to what happened to their loved ones at that time and they faced many, many obstacles including those put in their way by this state. I hope that the families involved today get those answers that they have been waiting for.”

Mr Martin said: “My thoughts and all of our thoughts are with the families of those who died in the Stardust tragedy in 1981. This will be a huge moment for the families and indeed for the entire country because the Stardust tragedy is seared on the collective consciousness of the Irish people and the tenacity of the families and their success in securing this inquest has been a service to all in society.”