Jury rules that the 48 victims in 1981 Stardust fire were unlawfully killed

The jury in the Stardust inquest has delivered a majority verdict of the unlawful killing of all the 48 victims of the 1981 nightclub fire.

Family members of those killed as well as the jury were in the Pillar Room of the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin when the foreman announced the verdict, to a reception of cheers.

After hearing 95 days of direct evidence from 373 witnesses, jurors also concluded that the fire began in the hot press on the nightclub’s premises.

The original Hot Press report on the Stardust disaster

The fire happened on Valentine's day 1981, at approximately 1.30 am in The Stardust Night Club Artane. Some people in attendance began to notice smoke in a closed off area, some thought it was dry ice as part of the performance.

Fifteen minutes later the 'dry ice' spread. Aided by the carpet lined walls and the polyurethane-stuffed seats, fire engulfed the main room of the nightclub.

There were 840 young people in the nightclub, 48 of whom died that night. Over 100 people were injured and of the 48 who died, half were aged 18 or younger.

In 2019, after a campaign by the families of victims, then Attorney General Seamus Woulfe announced a new inquest into the incident.

The inquest began under the supervision of senior coroner Dr Myra Cullinane began, who was told yesterday by the jury that they would not be able to reach a verdict on which they could all agree. Dr Cullinane told the panel that the she could legally accept a majority verdict in this case, which meant at least seven members of the 12 person jury.

Returning to the courtroom yesterday afternoon, the foreman informed Dr Cullianne that they had reached a majority verdict, which was announced earlier today in the Rotunda Hosptial.