Unlawful killing verdict for nightclub fire deaths

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Here’s a quick recap of the day’s events as the jury in the inquests into the Stardust nightclub fire in Dublin delivered its findings.

• The jury has returned a verdict of unlawful killing
• The blaze on 14 February 1981 claimed the lives of 48 people
• The verdict, which came after 11 days of deliberation, was met with cheers and applause from families in court
• The jury also found the fire started in the hot press in the main bar and was caused by an electrical fault
• Numerous families have welcomed the ruling by saying “justice has been served”, but others are calling for a public apology from the Irish government
• Taoiseach (prime minister) Simon Harris said Stardust was one of the darkest moments in Irish history and the government will consider the verdict in full

A day of great sadness and great triumph.

Legal professionals said it was the first time they had seen a standing ovation for a jury, and a coroner.

History has been made, in more ways than one.

Those who carried the pictures of their loved ones into the inquest have carried this campaign for 43 years.

Today, their loved ones were vindicated.

As the sun came out in the Garden of Remembrance, Louise McDermott, who lost three siblings, said those who died had been taken away from the darkness “and back into the light”.

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Alison Croker was 12 when her sister Jacqueline died in the tragedy.

"I feel vindicated today that we’ve got the truth, we've got justice," she said.

"Now I think it’s time that the Irish state actually apologise to each and everyone of us for the systematic abuse we’ve been put through."

She said the families have had to "relive this ordeal over and over again" and thanked their legal team and supporters.

She said: "To Dr Cullinane (coroner), to the jury, to our legal team and to everyone that’s standing here with us today, I’d like to say thank you for giving my sister back her identity."

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Susan Behan's brother John Colgan died in the fire.

“He was 21 and I was 22, we had so many things to look forward to but now I know what happened to him.

"For 43 years I’ve wondered why, why, why," she said.

"Now justice has been served for all of us."

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Lisa Lawlor lost both of her parents Maureen and Francis in the fire when she was 17-months-old.

She said it has "been a battle, to say the least" for the last 43 years.

"I was only one, I was in nappies the last time I saw both my parents, they went to the Stardust and they didn't come home," she added.

"I just want to thank the legal team, the coroner, the media, everyone who has brought us through this in the last year and the last 43 years."

Maurice McHugh and his wife Phyllis lost their only child Caroline, who was 17.

He paid tribute to Christine Keegan who led the Stardust Victims’ Committee for many years who died in 2020.

"We will still continue on; the campaign is not over yet completely. We still continue on the campaign for justice for the families."

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Pat Dunne said her brother Brian Hobbs was the baby of the family.

"Brian was number 29 for years, which was disgraceful, he's now Brian Hobbs which is very important to me."

She paid tribute to the people behind the case, saying the coroner was "brilliant".

"The jury were fantastic because they were regular people on the street like all of us".

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Gertrude Barrett's son Michael died in the Stardust blaze.

"This has been a mission, to say the least, and when you’re driven by desire there aren’t any boundaries and this day belongs to my son Michael and the 47 others that perished with him.

"This is their day," she said.

"We’re truly grateful to the coroner, all those legal people, those who stayed with us and prayed with us and have never given up, because I know I never did. Thank you all."

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In a statement, Irish President Michael D Higgins described the finding of unlawful killing as a "vindication of the fight" of the families.

"Today's findings have at last brought a conclusion as to the circumstances of their death: to the cause of the fire, to the factors which contributed to its spread, to the factors which impeded those who died in their ability to escape and to access and exit through emergency exits, by its ultimate verdict of unlawful killing," he said.

He added the findings have come about thanks to the "tireless campaigning and work of those who cared most for the loss".

"I am very conscious that today will be a day of the deepest emotions for the loved ones of those who died," he said.

"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 also offered his congratulations to each of the families "for the outcome of their steadfastness in pursuit of justice".

Mr Keegan says consecutive Irish governments have "failed" the Stardust families.

"Every politician, every taoiseach (Irish prime minister) should hold their head in shame," he said.

"It's an embarrassment."

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Damien Keegan, the youngest brother to Mary and Martina Keegan who were both killed in the fire, said it has taken too long for justice.

"It's 43 years too late to be honest with you," he told BBC News NI.

"My mother passed away there four years ago... fighting for 39 years for justice for her two girls."

"This could have been done 20 years ago" and it was "so wrong in so many ways" to make the families wait, he added.

"It's a great result but it's hard to take."

The fire "tore my family apart" he said, adding they were "never the same after it".

"It destroyed our family, even now we can't deal with it … we don't know how to communicate with each other, our family's broken from it."

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Siobhán Kearney said her brother Liam Dunne was the last victim to die on 11 March 1981, 25 days after the fire.

"To feel vindicated is a lovely, lovely word," she said.

She thanked "the working class people … the jury that sat there for the whole year and had to listen to it".

She said without the witnesses the verdict would not have been possible.

The inquest heard "horrendous, horrific" evidence but there were also "uplifting" moments, she added.

"There was a lot of heroes there that night that helped and that showed the type of people who were in that club that night, working class people, may they all rest in peace."

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Helena Mangan's daughter Samantha was four years old when her mother died in the fire.

"She went out one night to have fun with her boyfriend, John Stout, who also died that night, and never came home."

"For the last 43 years I've wondered why and what happened that night … and today we got justice for her," she says.

Mangan says she has spent the last 137 days in court.

"So I know the truth, I know what happened to my mother, and justice has been served today," she adds.

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Louise McDermott, speaking on behalf of her mother Brigid who lost three children - Willie, George and Marcella - says it is a "very emotional day for all the families".

"For 43 years we had to fight," she says.

"We shouldn't have had to do that … this should have been sorted and done long ago," she adds.

She thanks the legal teams and those who came out in 2019 to call for a fresh inquest.

She describes that moment as "a turning point" for the families.

"I just want to say to the 48 now that we're taking you out of the flames, the darkness and the smoke of the Stardust.

"We're bringing you back to the sunshine and the light and the music and you're coming back to us, to home," she adds.

Helen McEntee, the minster for justice, says it's a "landmark day" and she hopes it brought some comfort to the families of those who died in the Stardust nightclub fire.

"I hope they will feel they have today finally got to the truth of what happened," she says in a statement.

She adds that while the conclusion of these inquests would not bring back those who died, she hopes it would help their loved ones to "achieve some small degree of closure and healing".

McEntee says the government would now consider the verdict and recommendations of the jury.

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Stardust survivor Antoinette Keegan, who lost her two sisters Mary and Martina, thanks her legal team and said it has been an "overwhelming day".

"This day is for the 48," she said.

She also paid tribute to her mother and late broadcaster Charlie Bird.

One of his earliest assignments was reporting on the Stardust fire for RTÉ.

When he died earlier this year, Ms Keegan told told RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne programme that he never forgot any of the Stardust survivors and their families.

"He was one of the first people to contact me after my mother died in 2020", she said.

Commenting on the dismissal of the 1981 inquests ruling of arson in 2009 Maurice Frazer said it had taken too long.

"Twenty eight years of the names of our loved ones smeared with arson, one of the most despicable crimes imaginable.

"This is why we the families need a meaningful public apology from the Irish state.

"While today brings a glimmer or relief, we now know deep down it can never erase the void left by our loved ones absence.

"Today marks a turning point, a step towards closure, healing, a future where justice prevails."

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Darragh Mackin, a solicitor representing most of the victims' families, said there has been "one recurring theme - the power of these families".

He said "the record has been forever corrected" today.

Paying tribute to those individuals who fought for a fresh inquest, Mr Mackin said "the cover-up has ended and the rising of the truth has begun".

"A campaign started by powerful women was finished today by a powerful woman, Dr Myra Cullinane, the senior Coroner, did what others couldn't," he said.

"Today marks an end to the perception that the law only favours the rich."

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Maurice Frazer, the brother of Thelma, thanked the coroner and the jury for their dedication and compassion.

"For 43 long years we've been relentless in the quest for justice," he said.

"We tirelessly battled against the barriers and closed doors of Ireland's political and justice systems, clinging to hope even when it seemed futile."