‘Better late than never’ – Stardust families receive apology letters from Harris

FEBRUARY 14, 1981: A blaze rips through the Stardust nightclub, in Artane, north Dublin, killing 48 young people and injuring more than 200 others. It remains the worst fire disaster in the history of the State.

NOVEMBER 1981: A tribunal of inquiry into the tragedy, chaired by Mr Justice Ronan Keane, finds the blaze was “probably” caused by arson. The families reject the finding and start a decades-long campaign for a new inquiry.

MARCH 1982: Original inquests found that all 48 died from a combination of smoke inhalation and cyanide poisoning.

SEPTEMBER 1985: The government establishes a Compensation Tribunal to give ex-gratia payments to victims’ families and survivors. 823 people received just under £10.5million. The lives of the dead were valued at £7,500 each.

MARCH 2006: Campaigners march on Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s office demanding new evidence be considered in a public inquiry.

APRIL 2007: The bodies of five victims —  Richard Bennett, Michael French, Murtagh Kavanagh, Éamon Loughman and Paul Wade —  are finally identified using DNA techniques.

JULY 2008: The Government appoints Paul Coffey SC to conduct an independent examination of the case for a reopened inquiry.

JANUARY 2009: The report rules out a new inquiry —  but dismisses the probable arson verdict. Families declare a “victory for the dead”.

2013: Gardai open a criminal investigation into alleged perjury  over evidence given by several witnesses at the 1981 tribunal.

FEBRUARY 2014: Two representatives of the Stardust families end a 24-hour occupation of Government Buildings after demanding to see then-Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

JANUARY 2016: The Director of Public Prosecutions  says it will not mount a prosecution into alleged perjury by several witnesses at the 1981 tribunal.

FEBRUARY 2016: Families hold a protest at Dublin Coroner’s Court calling for the inquest into the 48 deaths to be reopened, saying they were given a cause of death but no verdict.

MARCH 2017: The Cabinet appoints retired judge Mr Justice Patrick McCartan to conduct a probe into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy and to rule whether a commission of investigation into the fire is warranted.

NOVEMBER 2017: Families reject the McCartan report’s recommendation that there should be no new inquiry, describing the tone of the report as “rude, aggressive and irrational” and they continue to demand a new inquest.

NOVEMBER 2018: Families say they have found new evidence and will petition the Attorney General for a new inquest. Taoiseach Leo ­Varadkar tells the Dail the AG will give full consideration to their request.

FEBRUARY 14, 2019: On the 38th anniversary of the tragedy, a new plaque is unveiled at the site of the former Stardust nightclub, with the inscription “They Never Came Home”, and listing the names of the 48 dead.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2019: Attorney General ­Seamus Woulfe contacts families of the victims to say an inquest will be held because of an “insufficiency of inquiry” in  original inquests.

APRIL 25, 2023: After delays caused by Covid and a judicial review taken by the club owner Eamon Butterly in the High Court, the new inquest finally begins in the Pillar Room at the Rotunda Hospital, in Dublin.

APRIL 18, 2024: Verdicts are announced after the longest inquest in the history of the State. 

The Irish Sun’s new podcast The Stardust Tragedy, from the creators of the Kinahans and the Making of a Detective podcasts, is out now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.