Stardust families should have ‘another day in court’

The Stardust families must have “another day in court”, the Dáil was told, as calls resounded for justice for the 48 victims who were unlawfully killed in the fire.

Members of opposition parties were united in their praise for the families and survivors of the 1981 tragedy, and their long struggle for truth and justice.

Taoiseach Simon Harris issued an apology to the families of the Stardust disaster, some 43 years after the fire ripped through the busy nightclub.

There were calls in the Dáil on Tuesday for accountability over who was responsible for the unlawful deaths.

For forty-three years, the families of the Stardust fire victims faced the state’s contempt. Their struggle for truth and justice has been blocked time and time again.

They faced everything and never gave in.

For the 48 young people who went to Stardust and never came… pic.twitter.com/j4gkxluibD

— Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) April 23, 2024

Opposition politicians told the government that the apology should be followed by a compensation plan for the families.

Successive governments and former Taoisigh were widely criticized for failing the families.

Labor TD for Dublin Bay North Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said it was time for the gardaí, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Justice Minister Helen McEntee to “do what is right”.

“If those you loved were wrongfully killed, then someone wrongfully killed them,” he said.

“What would happen in any other case of corporate homicide in any other part of the city? Another day in court is yet to come.

“Stardust will always be a scar. A story about greed. A story about recklessness. A horror story. Of poisonous lies. But of resilience. Of hope. Of campaigning and of truth.

“The Stardust families are heroes of this Republic. We are honored to be in their presence today. They would much rather not be here.

“They would much rather have seen their loved ones grow older over the past 43 years. But you made us all want to be better. To work harder. To campaign more. To listen more. To judge less. And to speak the truth.”

Sinn Féin president Mary-Lou McDonald said the state has “finally apologized” to the families of the victims of the Stardust fire tragedy “for not giving up”, adding: “Now let justice flow as a river”.

“They (the families) are here today in the public gallery of the Dáil and they are here in victory,” she said.

“When the verdict was handed down last Thursday it confirmed what the Irish people already knew: unlawful killing, 48 counts of unlawful killing. It wasn’t arson. None of the young people who went to the Valentine’s dance were responsible.

“Now the great lie that has cast a shadow over your lives since February 13, 1981 has been lifted once and for all.

“So this moment, this victory, this vindication is first and foremost for those who were wrongfully killed, for the survivors, for the courageous families who have lived for years with the pain of their lives, with the ghosts of unanswered questions and with the sadness of the empty chair.

“For the 48 young people who never came home, the truth is finally revealed. For the survivors who endured a lifetime of suffering, the truth has finally triumphed and you, their families, have brought the truth home for them and now let justice flow like a river.”

Labor leader Ivana Bacik said there must be commitment on a compensation plan for families.

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said he hopes the state’s apology is the “beginning of truth” for the families of the Stardust fire tragedy.

“I hope today is the beginning of the truth, because I think this is certainly not the end. An apology is not enough, there must be real justice and real accountability for those who frustrated your fight for the truth and for justice for your loved ones,” he said.

“The state must explain and recognize its own responsibility in all this.”

He praised the families of the victims of the tragedy for their campaigns.

‘I just want to compliment you. This is your day. We are only here because of what you did in your ceaseless fight for justice, because of the love you had for your family members who lost their lives and were murdered,” he said.

“This is your day, and I hope this is the beginning, and all I want to say to the government is that this has to be led by the families. What follows from this must be led by the families. Only they know what truth and justice mean and how to provide it to their loved ones and those who have survived this terrible tragedy and injustice.”