The 48 people who died in the fire Family photos Family photos

THE JURY IN the Stardust inquests has returned a verdict of unlawful killing for how all 48 victims died in the fire over 40 years ago.

The jury’s verdict on where, when and how each of the 48 died was delivered this afternoon at Dublin District Coroner’s Court.

There had been five options open to the 12-person jury: unlawful killing, misadventure, accidental, an open verdict or a narrative verdict.

The blaze tore through the nightclub in Artane on Dublin’s northside in the early hours of Valentine’s Day 1981. More than 200 people were injured.

The inquests heard from more than 370 witnesses over 90 days of evidence, and first sat in April 2023.

The jury found that the fire started in the hot press in the main bar of the venue and was caused by an electrical fault. 

The jurors found that the use of carpet tiles on the walls, the presence of polyurethane foam in the seating and the height of the ceiling in the west alcove of the building all contributed to how quickly the fire spread. 

A number of factors were found to have contributed to the difficulty of people leaving the nightclub once the fire started, including the fact exits were locked, chained or otherwise obstructed.

A lack of staff preparedness for a fire, the failure of the emergency light system, and a lack of visibility due to smoke also played a role, the jury found. 

File photo from the aftermath of the fire in 1981, showing members of the gardaí standing outside the club. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

A tribunal to investigate the fire was held in 1981 and concluded that it was caused by ‘probable arson’, a verdict that caused anger among families and survivors and which was later struck from the public record.

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Stardust inquests deliver verdict of unlawful killing in the case of all 48 victims

Several campaigns were launched over the following decades calling for further investigations to be held into the disaster, the worst in the history of the State.

In 2019, then-Attorney General Seamus Woulfe ordered that fresh inquests be held, citing an “insufficiency of inquiry” as to how the deaths occurred.

Ahead of the verdict being announced this afternoon, the names of the 48 deceased were read into the record (in alphabetical order), alongside the date they were identified, the medical cause of their death, and the date and place of their death. 

The most common cause of death was “rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat”.

Most of the deceased were identified in 1981, but five people were only identified in 2007 following advancements in DNA testing. 

Names of the deceased, date of identification, medical cause of death, date of death (DOD), and place of death:

• Michael Barrett – identified 17 February 1981, inhalation of fire fumes, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Richard Bennett – identified 26 April 2007, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Carol Bissett - identified 18 February 1981, complications due to burns and inhalation of toxic fumes, DOD 18 February 1981 at Mater Hospital
• James Buckley – identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Paula Byrne – identified 17 February 1981, inhalation of fire fumes, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Caroline Carey (who was four-and-a-half months pregnant at the time) – identified 14 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Richmond Hospital 
• John Colgan – identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Jacqueline Croker – identified 14 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Liam Dunne – identified 11 March 1981, complications of burns and inhalation of fire fumes, DOD 11 March 1981 at the Mater Hospital
• Michael Farrell – identified 16 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Michael Ffrench – identified 26 April 2007, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• David Flood – identified 15 February 1981, inhalation of fire fumes, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Thelma Frazer – identified 16 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Josephine Glen – identified 20 February 1981, complications due to inhalations of fire fumes, DOD 19 February 1981 at Jervis Street Hospital 
• Michael Griffiths – identified 14 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Robert Hillick – identified 16 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Brian Hobbs – identified 14 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Eugene Hogan – identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Murtagh Kavanagh – identified 26 April 2007, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Martina Keegan – identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Mary Keegan – identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Robert Kelly – identified 16 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Mary Kennedy – identified 15 February 1981, inhalation of fire fumes, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Mary Kenny – identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Margaret Kiernan – identified 14 February 1981, inhalation of fire fumes, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Sandra Lawless – identified 16 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Francis Lawlor – identified 17 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Maureen Lawlor – identified 25 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Paula Lewis – identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Eamon Loughman – identified 26 April 2007, inhalation of fire fumes, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Donna Mahon – identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Helena Mangan – identified 17 February 1981, inhalation of fire fumes, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• George McDermott - identified 16 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Marcella McDermott - identified 17 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• William McDermott - identified 15 February 1981, inhalation of fire fumes, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Julie McDonnell - identified 14 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Teresa McDonnell – identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Gerard McGrath - identified 17 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Caroline McHugh - identified  14 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• James Millar – identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Susan Morgan - identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• David Morton - identified 14 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Kathleen Muldoon - identified 15 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• George O’Connor – identified 16 February 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Brendan O’Meara - identified 25 February 1981, complications of burns and inhalation of fire fumes, DOD 25 February 1981 at Jervis Street Hospital
• John Stout - identified 30 March 1981, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Margaret Thornton - identified 15 February 1981, inhalation of fire fumes, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub
• Paul Wade - identified 26 April 2007, rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat, DOD 14 February 1981 at Stardust nightclub

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