‘The first step on the road to the truth’ after Stardust fire

THE recent inquest into the Stardust fire returned a verdict that 48 people died in the disaster as a result of unlawful killing, and the sister of one of the victims said it marks “the first step on the road to the truth”.

Pat Dunne, 77, who lives in Mountain Park in Tallaght and is heavily involved in St Dominic’s Church, lost her 21-year-old brother Brian Hobbs in the blaze in the Stardust nightclub in Artane on Valentine’s Day 1981.

Her brother was among the 48 people whose lives were claimed in the fire and the families of the victims have fought for over four decades to uncover the truth of what happened that night.

Talking about her brother, Pat told The Echo: “Brian was very outgoing, and he loved life. He was very popular, he worked hard but liked to socialise with friends.

“He loved fashion and always liked to look well, and he loved music and dancing.

“He had just come back after working in Zurich in the catering industry, which he trained for and won a gold medal for in Ireland, so, he was going places.”

When her brother’s life was tragically cut short, Pat and her family struggled with their enormous loss.

“We were devastated, as you can imagine,” she said. “He was the youngest of seven so was the baby of the family.

“Also, the circumstances of his death were very hard for us all to come to terms with, and how he died.

“It changed the whole dynamic of the family – it affected us all in different ways, we were broken.

“But we needed to find out exactly how he died, and why and how it happened.

“We just needed answers and they weren’t forthcoming. We were blocked and fobbed off for so many years, so it didn’t help the grieving process at all. We were all those years in limbo.”

The families of the victims of the Stardust fire campaigned for many years for fresh inquests into the deaths caused at the Stardust.

The inquests into the 48 deaths began at Dublin District Coroners Court in April 2023, and concluded on April 18 last when the jury returned a majority verdict of unlawful killing in all 48 deaths.

“I think we never thought we would get a fresh inquest after 43 years, but we did and it has been a very hard road to get to this point,” said Pat.

“Listening to all the witnesses was so difficult at times, for us and them, but the families are all very close and we kept each other going.

“Our legal team were just fantastic and explained everything each step of the way. Unlawful killing was the right verdict.”

Pat went to the Dáil last Tuesday, April 23, with other Stardust victims’ families to witness An Taoiseach, Simon Harris, issuing a State apology for the struggle they endured to get justice.

“Today we say formally and without equivocation – we are sorry,” said Mr Harris.

“We failed you when you needed us most from the very beginning. We should have stood with you, but instead we forced you to stand against us.”

He added that the State “which rubbed salt in the wounds” of families would now “start to help you heal”.

He later said in his State apology: “I apologise to the families that those present on that night were wrongly criminalised through the allegation of arson, which was an attack on their reputations.

“I say clearly that every person there was innocent. I say today that the truth is now known. And I say not only were they innocent, they were unlawfully killed.”

Pat said the apology was welcome, but she is still reserving some scepticism after everything that she and the other Stardust victims’ families have gone through to get to this point.

“[The apology] was brilliant, but a long time coming and due,” she said.

“It meant a lot to the families but I’m still a bit sceptical.

“It’s just the first step on the road to, first, truth, then justice, implementing the recommendation by the coroner, maybe the DPP looking at criminal issues, so we will see where the journey takes us.”

Pat added: “Rest in peace, Brian Hobbs.”