A State commemoration event will take place to honour and remember those touched by the tragic Stardust fire in Dublin. President Michael D Higgins will preside over the memorial service, set for Sunday in the Garden of Remembrance, and will pay tribute to the 48 individuals who tragically lost their lives in the 1981 devastation.
The remembrance service, developed in collaboration with the victims’ families, is not only to honour the deceased but also to acknowledge the individuals who provided aid to the victims and their families both on that fateful night and throughout the ensuing years.
The attendees of the commemoration service will include Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste, Taoiseach Simon Harris, Deputy Prime Minister Micheál Martin, as well as multiple government members. President Higgins will pay his own personal tribute by laying a wreath to represent the people of Ireland.
The observance ceremony will consist of spoken words, melodies, and songs with musical support from the North Dublin Gospel Community Choir, the Artane Band, and the Dublin Fire Brigade Band. Solo performances are scheduled from talented artists like Christy Moore, Zoe Conway, Kevin Rowsome, Mary Byrne, and Eddie Sherlock. Renowned author Roddy Doyle will be reading a piece purposely written for the event titled “Names,” and Fr Joe Jones will recite a prayer.
Phelim Drew will act as the Master of Ceremonies. The majority of other attendees will comprise family members of the deceased, survivors from the incident, and those who were first responders during the night of the fire.
The families will place wreaths in the cruciform pool and recite the names of their loved ones who passed away, accompanied by excerpts from pen portraits. The ceremony is an important milestone, following more than four decades of campaigning from the victims’ families for justice, which resulted in an inquest in April of this year that found the 48 young victims had been unlawfully killed.
The service is set to begin at noon and TV station RTÉ 1 will be broadcasting the event live.