The Stardust inquests jury has been prompted to conclude with a verdict of illicit killing in connection with the 1981 nightclub fire that took 48 lives. On Thursday, Mr Michael O’Higgins SC initiated his closing statements at the Dublin Coroner’s Court where investigations into these deaths, taking place in April of last year, are ongoing. These victims, aged between 16 to 27, perished in a blaze that erupted at the Stardust nightclub located in north Dublin on the early morning of February 14, 1981.
While representing the relatives of 10 decedents in his argument on the 110th day of the proceedings, Mr O’Higgins described the journey up to this point as a “long road”. He urged the jury to reflect on the unlawful killing verdict stating: “On behalf of the families that I represent, I’m here to provide you with relevant facts and make submissions … I’ll be urging you to think about arriving at a verdict of illicit killing.”
Mr O’Higgins, spearheading one of the five legal teams advocating for the deceased’s families, mentioned that additional parties will discuss aspects such as the role of flammable carpet tiles installed on the Stardust’s interior walls, the condition of the emergency exits on the night of the incident and the insufficient fire training of the Stardust staff.
Additionally, the jury will need to study the events at the Stardust, critically evaluate the evidence, and determine whether there was a “failure to a significant extent to follow necessary actions as indicated by experience, to prevent substantial harm to others”. If such negligence contributed majorly to the cause of death, Mr O’Higgins expressed that the jury is “within their rights to return a verdict of unlawful killing”.
Alleged management failings included obstructed exit doors, chains draped over emergency exit panic bars, bathroom windows sealed with metal sheets welded to internal frames, untrained staff in case of emergencies, inadequate door personnel, and neglect in hiring appropriately qualified individuals for overseeing the conversion of an old food-processing factory in Artane into a nightclub. These “shortcomings” were in violation of the 1934 bylaws concerning fire safety in public places, as pointed out by Mr O’Higgins.
Mr O’Higgins has claimed that Eamon Butterly’s credibility, the ex-manager of Stardust who stood witness over eight days during the September inquests, is irretrievably ruined due to inconsistencies in his testimony. Looking back on why the inquiries took place more than four decades after the tragedy, he stated that the first answer was women. He further delineated women who were marked by unyielding spirit in various roles such as mothers, daughters, and siblings. Among these were Christina Keegan, who mourned the loss of her young daughters Martina, aged 16 and Mary, aged 19. He also mentioned Brigid McDermott, now 87, who lost her three children: Marcella, George, and William.
Further, Gertrude Barrett was named, whose 17-year-old son, Michael, passed away in the tragic event. Ms Barrett was the first to present a biographical sketch to the inquests in April 2023. Citing Ms Barrett, he shared her expressions of the family’s devastation post-fire. She admitted that the family would forever be marked by the suffering caused by the fire, experiencing feelings of helplessness, desolation and disconnection along with immense stress and anxiety. Despite learning to carry this burden, she said it will persist until their dying days. She added that these experiences have been intensified by their relentless, four-decade-long quest for justice and emphasized that she should have never had to fight for justice for Michael.
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