AN INQUEST JURY has heard of several “tragic young couples perishing together” in the Stardust fire, as pathological evidence on the 48 people who lost their lives concluded in the Dublin District Coroner’s Court.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane today told the jury that the evidence revealed how distressing the identification process was for the families of the victims, with many of those who died when flames swept through the Artane nightclub in the early hours of Valentine’s Day, 1981, only identified from their jewellery or clothing.
She also noted that in most cases, the pathologists confirmed that the noxious environment in the nightclub would have led to very rapid unconsciousness and unawareness for the victims.
A review of postmortem evidence was carried out by consultant pathologists Dr Richard Shepherd, Dr Nat Cary, and Dr Benjamin Swift, who informed the jury of the cause of death in each case.
The jury heard that Helena Mangan was 22 when she died. She attended the Stardust with her boyfriend, John Stout, who also died.
A member of the coroner’s legal team, Mark Tottenham BL, said there was soot in her airways and lungs, and there was a 56% saturation of carboxyhaemoglobin in her blood, which Dr Shepherd confirmed was a lethal level of carbon monoxide.
There was extensive burning to her body, but Dr Shepherd said he could not say if this was before or after death. He said the cause of her death was inhalation of fire fumes.
Bernard Condon SC, representing the family, said that the original postmortem revealed that her heart was very small and weighed 150g, and he asked whether there had been heat shrinking of the organ.
Dr Shepherd replied that as she was “a very petite lady”, all her internal organs would have been smaller, but there would also have been some effect from the fire.
“There is no doubt she was exposed to all of the fumes we have spoken about, including burning plastic,” said Dr Shepherd.
Julie McDonnell was last seen outside the Stardust by her brother and is thought to have re-entered the building. She was 20 at the time of her death.
Dr Shepherd said that the cause of her death was rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat.
Des Fahy KC, representing the family, said that to a large extent, her clothing was intact, which indicated that the inhalation element was potentially the far more significant factor here. Dr Shepherd agreed and said that the degree of burning was minimal, meaning the inhalation of fumes was more important.
Caroline McHugh was last seen alive leaving the dance floor area after the fire started and heading back to her table to collect her coat. She was 17 at the time of her death.
Dr Shepherd said that the cause of death was rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat.
Brenda Campbell KC, representing the family, said that Caroline was identified from a fragment of burnt jeans and a melted comb, as well as pieces of jewellery. Campbell said Caroline went to get her coat when the fire was detected, which brought her to a slightly raised area. She asked whether going up steps to get her coat would have brought Caroline to an area where there was an increased probability of toxic fumes gathering.
Dr Benjamin Swift replied that gases are moved around by the heat and carbon monoxide would rise compared to oxygen, so there would have been a steady movement of toxic gases as well as a consumption of oxygen.
David Morton was in the Stardust with his girlfriend, Martina Keegan (16), who also died. He was 19 at the time of his death.
Dr Shepherd said that David inhaled a significant quantity of toxic gases, and the cause of death was rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat.
He confirmed to Fahy, representing the family, that David would have experienced a rapid loss of consciousness. He also confirmed that the pattern of burning on the body was consistent with postmortem burning.
“The unconsciousness has occurred, he lay down, and then after death, the fire has continued to burn, causing damage,” said Dr Shepherd.
Kathleen Muldoon was with her friend, Gerard McGrath (21), who also died. She was 19 at the time of her death.
Tottenham said that a postmortem revealed her lungs were congested and there were extensive burns, but it was not possible to say how much of this happened before death.
Dr Shepherd confirmed that this was a difficult assessment to make, and he said that the cause of her death was rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat.
George O’Connor was last seen on the dance floor when the fire became visible. He was 17 at the time of his death.
Tottenham said that George was exposed to poisonous substances and there were extensive burns to body, but it was likely that most of them were caused after death.
Dr Shepherd said that the cause of death was rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat. He confirmed that George had one of the highest cyanide levels in his blood of any of the victims.
Brendan O’Meara was removed alive from the Stardust and brought to hospital, before being pronounced dead on 25 February. He was 23 at the time of his death.
Dr Shepherd said that his lungs showed signs of infection, which developed into abscesses. His kidneys were swollen, which Dr Shepherd said was a common complication of these sorts of extensive burns.
The cause of death was complications of burns and inhalation of fire fumes.
Dr Shepherd told the jury that there was no toxicology report as Brendan would have had transfusions in hospital, so any chemicals present in the blood such as carbon monoxide would have been diluted, and any results obtained would have been meaningless.
He confirmed to Seán Guerin SC, representing the family, that Brendan was taken out of the Stardust alive, “but it was pretty clear that his condition was perilous in the extreme”.
John Stout attended the Stardust with Helena Mangan, who also died. He was 18 at the time of death.
Dr Shepherd said the cause of death was rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat. He confirmed to Condon, representing the family, that the levels of toxic fumes were enough to make John unconscious quite quickly.
Margaret Thornton was with Murtagh Kavanagh (27), who also died. She was 19 at the time of her death.
Tottenham said that the postmortem showed a 50% saturation of carboxyhaemoglobin and 122mg of cyanide, which caused quite swift unconsciousness and death.
Dr Shepherd said that the cause of death was inhalation of fire fumes.
The final victim on whom a pathological report was given was Paul Wade, who was not identified until 2007 after advancements in DNA evidence.
He attended the Stardust with others including Susan Morgan (19), who also died. He was 17 at the time of his death.
Dr Shepherd said that the cause of death was rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat.
Condon, representing the family, said that Paul was going out with Susan Morgan, and again “this is another one of tragic young couples perishing together in the same fire”.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said that this concluded the pathological evidence in relation to the 48 deceased.
“The evidence we have been hearing reveals how unbearably distressing the identification process must have been for each of the bereaved families, complicated as it was in many cases with fire damage to the remains, such as that it was only permitted that identification could take place by way of viewing jewellery, property, and clothing,” said Dr Cullinane.
She said that in most cases, the pathologists confirmed that the noxious environment in the nightclub during the fire would have led to very rapid unconsciousness and unawareness.
The inquest continues next Monday, 22 January, in the Pillar Room of the Rotunda Hospital.
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