'There was a big build up to it for weeks': Episode two of Stardust out now

The second episode of Stardust delves into the stories of those who went there that night and the history of the building in Artane.

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“I got that shudder and said, ‘Jesus, don’t tell me they’re turning on the heating now’. It was nearly time to go home. I looked at my watch and it was 1.33am. I was after getting one of these digital watches for my birthday. One of these you pressed and the light came on. We looked at it and said ‘Now they’re turning the heat on!’. It turns out it wasn’t the heat, but the first heat from the fire I felt.” – Linda Bishop

13 FEBRUARY 1981 was all set to be a big night at the Stardust club in Artane, north Dublin.

After a series of heats featuring dozens of entrants, two people were to set to be crowned the king and queen of the dancefloor in the disco dancing competition.

In Episode Two of Stardust from TheJournal.ie, we hear from the people who were there that night on the excitement that been building up for weeks ahead of Valentine’s weekend, and the lengths you’d have to go to get past the bouncers.

We also look at the history of the building – which was formerly a jam factory – and how it came to be opened as a nightclub with attached bar and restaurant in the late 1970s.

stardust map A map of the interior of the Stardust Houses of the Oireachtas Houses of the Oireachtas

Click here to view a larger version.

In the months prior to the fire, the Stardust had been inspected a number of times by Dublin Corporation. Its inspector found problems such as locked doors and obstructed exits.

The owners of the Stardust wrote back to Dublin Corporation to say that “all exits will be kept clear when the public are on the premises”. This wasn’t the case in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 1981.

But on a fiercely cold February night, none of the young people going to the Stardust knew any of this.

They just wanted to have a good time. And they did. Up until around 1.30am, it was a night like any other. Within minutes, however, all that would change.

Find episode one here.

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