Stardust families were ‘systematically and stubbornly denied truth and justice,’ says archbishop

At a special Mass for the 48 young people who died in the fire on February 14, 1981, Dr Farrell paid tribute to and described the “courage and perseverance” of the survivors and families of the victims in their quest for truth and justice as “dignified and inspiring”.

Speaking at the Church of St Joseph the Artisan in Donnybrook, Dublin, he said their solidarity with each other underpinned a hope of truth that would otherwise have been denied them for so long.

Last week, a coroner’s jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing of the 48 youths, 43 years after the disaster.

“Thanks to the endurance and tenacity” of the families, “the truth has finally freed them from an enormous burden of injustice and untruths that they have fought tenaciously to remove,” Dr. Farrell said. He prayed that the truth would “bring a sense of peace to many, even though their mourning will not end.”

Dr. Farrell described the nightclub tragedy as “one of the greatest disasters and tragedies of our time” and said people were once again moved by the suffering of the families whose children had been unlawfully killed.

“Who could not be moved by the suffering, the weight of the pain and the memories, which have persisted for more than 43 years now, of the families who lost 48 loved ones in the Stardust disaster, and of the more than 200 who were injured hit?” he asked.

So many families have endured immense suffering and, through the inquest, have relived the horror of that night, which has been “engraved in the hearts and memories of a generation”, the leader of the Catholic Church in Dublin said.

“Those who died unlawfully in the Stardust fire were a source of joy to their families and friends. The hearts were ripped out of those families and their entire communities during this unspeakable disaster.” He said an entire community had been traumatized “by the horror of that terrible night”.

The lives of so many were ‘devastated’ by the loss of those 48 young people who were so full of hope and promise. “That great loss has been compounded by the long search for a full and truthful account of the tragedy that satisfies their need for truth.”

Praying for those who died in the Stardust fire and those who suffered pain and loss, he remembered relatives who did not experience the outcome of the inquest at Dublin District Coroner’s Court.

He highlighted how for many of the families and survivors, their Christian faith was “severely tested” by the depth of their loss and grief. But despite “persistent injustice, in the midst of darkness,” something new had come to life.

Dr Farrell’s comments come ahead of the state’s apology that Prime Minister Simon Harris will make in the Dáil on Tuesday, where he will call out the names of all 48 victims.