The Stardust nightclub fire in Artane, north Dublin in 1981, which resulted in the deaths of 48 people during a Valentine’s Day disco, remains the worst fire disaster in the history of the State. The families of the victims have campaigned for justice for decades, and a new inquest has now begun. It is expected to be the most extensive ever held in Ireland. The inquest opened with the relatives of the victims reading out pen portraits of their loved ones. The High Court rejected a legal challenge seeking to exclude ‘unlawful killing’ as a possible verdict at the inquest. The trauma of losing loved ones in the fire has never faded, and family members gathered at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin ahead of the first day of the inquest.
