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A VIGIL WAS held at the site of the former Stardust nightclub in Artane today, 45 years on from the devastating fire that claimed the lives of 48 young people.
On St Valentine’s Day, 1981, revellers were gathered at the north Dublin nightclub when a fire broke out. Many of the exits were chained shut and windows barred, trapping people inside.
An inquest determined in 2024 that all 48 had died as a result of unlawful killing. Hundreds of others were injured. In April 2024, then Taoiseach Simon Harris delivered a formal State apology to the families of those killed.
A review into the deaths is being “actively pursued” by An Garda Síochána’s Serious Crime Review Team in the wake of the inquest verdict of unlawful killing.
Gardaí said its review team “continues to actively engage” with the Stardust families and that their thoughts were with the families of the victims and the survivors of the Stardust tragedy.
A redress scheme was devised for the families of the deceased following the inquest.
In the second part of the scheme, a flat payment of €20,000 was announced earlier this week to those who were compensated in a 1985 tribunal. The flat rate was slammed by lawyers representing people injured in the fire, with Phoenix Law’s Darragh Mackin saying “one size does not fit all” and calling upon Government to reconsider the scheme.
Today, the names of the 48 deceased were called out, followed by 48 seconds of silence.
Wreaths were laid by members of Dublin Fire Brigade, An Garda Síochána, the National Ambulance Service, and army veterans alongside the Stardust families.
Dublin Fire Brigade sirens were heard before the firefighters’ pipe band played The Dawning Of The Day and Amazing Grace.
Claire Mould, the wife of the late journalist Charlie Bird who covered the fire and its impacts extensively throughout his lengthy career, attended the vigil today.
In December 2024, Dublin City Council opened Artane Artist Studios, ten new studios at the site of the former nightclub.
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