Valentine's Night 1981, 48 people were killed in the Stardust nightclub fire in North Dublin. It was the deadliest fire disaster in the history of the state. For decades, families campaigned to overturn the original findings and clear the names of their loved ones. In 2024, a jury found the victims were unlawfully killed, followed by a formal state apology and a redress scheme.
Sean Murray, co-author of The Last Disco, joined Shane Beatty on Newstalk Saturday to reflect on how the story has evolved and what the 45th anniversary of the tragedy represents.
Writer Sean Murray noted that the climate after the news of the tragedy broke was one of national despair and quest for answers.
“If something like this happened today people would be asking for answers to find out what happened and ensure it never happens again,” he told Newstalk’s Shane Beatty.
“That was the prevailing mood at the time. Everyone was so shocked and appalled and so sad.
“The government set up a tribunal of inquiry to try and find those answers. So unfortunately, especially for the survivors and the families of victims, that inquiry didn't get to the bottom of what happened. It didn't identify the electrical fault in the hot press as potentially being the cause.
“It suggested that arson was the main cause of the fire which then left a lot of the people in the community feeling like they were being blamed personally as there was this idea that one of their own, present on the night had started that horrible fire that had killed so many.
“It’s such a testament to the families and to the survivors that they kept going for so long, even though the doors kept being closed upon them.”
He cited the relentless battles and limitations they faced to get those inquest verdicts. At the time, the jury found that the victims had been unlawfully killed and some journalists said it was the most emotional thing they’d ever covered.
A memorial for victims of the Stardust fire. Picture by:Image: PA Images.“On the day of the verdicts there were hundreds [of people],” he said.
“Everyone had turned out to hear this verdict that they'd been waiting for for so long, to hear the vindication of their loved ones that they'd waited for so long.”
He described how the verdict of the inquest, which was that the victims had been unlawfully killed, unleashed an outpouring of grief, vindication and relief for loved ones of victims and survivors alike.
Last week, the Government announced that survivors were going to get €20,000 to compensate for delays in justice proceedings as part of a payment scheme.
Government today approved Phase Two recognition payments for injured survivors of the Stardust fire. Each survivor will be eligible for a recognition payment of €20,000 and the scheme will be straightforward to access.
Read more: https://t.co/1XwH0kDH0w@OCallaghanJim pic.twitter.com/06NESSafgH
— Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (@DeptJusticeIRL) February 10, 2026
Sean Murray explained that the decision received mixed reactions.
“For a long time, the Stardust families have felt like the government just wants them to go away, just wants them to be quiet, to sit down and hopefully that they would be satiated by whatever they were offered.
“And it feels like that kind of message is being sent across again as there was no consultation, no talk beforehand. I think could have been could have been an unwise move from the government."
Main Image: Stardust survivors and family members. Picture by: PA Images.
