Stardust families say they feel vindicated at vigil for victims

ON THE 28th anniversary of the Stardust tragedy, in which 48 young people were killed in a nightclub inferno in Dublin in 1981, the families of those killed and the survivors feel “vindicated and at peace”, a spokeswoman for the families has said.

Antoinette Keegan, whose two sisters died in the fire, spoke as families and supporters gathered for a candlelight vigil on the site of the Stardust nightclub last night.

It was attended by Independent TD Finian McGrath, Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Sinn Fein Councillor Larry O’Toole, who sang They Never Came Home, the Christy Moore song about the Stardust tragedy, according to Ms Keegan, who descrived the vigil as “beautiful and very moving”.

Ms Keegan said that the recently published independent report into the tragedy, which rules out arson as the probable cause of the fire, was a “victory” for the families.

“We never believed it was arson that caused that fire. It is now time to let the victims’ souls go. They have been trapped by the arson theory and now they have been vindicated.”

Some 48 young people were killed in the fire that engulfed the Artane nightclub on the night of February 13th, 1981. The original tribunal of inquiry into it concluded probable arson as the cause.

In his report Mr Coffey noted that this finding had “provoked anger and indignation among the survivors and the bereaved who perceive it to cast suspicion of criminal wrongdoing over all who attended the Stardust on the night of the fire”.

Ms Keegan said there were still ongoing issues, such as when the Government would officially correct the public record as had been enunciated in the findings of the original 1982 tribunal.

A memorial Mass will be held in St Joseph’s Church on Greencastle Road, Bonnybrook, at 12.30pm tomorrow, followed by a procession to the Stardust memorial park, where wreaths will be laid.