The names of all 48 young people that died in the Stardust Nightclub fire in Dublin have been read out as a new inquest gets underway.

A minute’s silence was also held for all the victims of the fire on Valentines’ night in Artane in 1981.

After years of campaigning by the victim's families, a fresh inquest into the fire was ordered last year by then-Attorney General Seamus Woulfe.

He found that the findings of the original inquest made no reference to the causes of the fire and that there was insufficient inquiry into how the deaths happened.

File photo shows fire damage at the Stardust disco in Artane, Dublin in February 1981 | Image: PA/PA Archive/PA Images

As the pre-inquest hearing got underway in Dublin today, Senior Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane told the court that the new inquest will not be bound by these findings or any prior investigation or tribunal.

Families who were following the proceedings remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions, were that this would be an entirely new inquiry.

Dr Cullinane also repeated calls for any eye witness to the 1981 tragedy to come forward.

Speaking ahead of the hearing Antoinette Keegan - who lost two sisters in the blaze – said it is time for the truth to come out.

“It is time no for the Government to say that they knew all along and they got it wrong in 1981,” she said.

“Let us move on. We have been trapped here in Stardust for 39 years.

Left to right. Families of the victims of the Stardust disaster: Pat Kennedy (picture of daughter Marie), Bride McDermott (William, Marcella, George) Eugene Kelly, Betty Bisset (daughter Carol perished), Antoinette and Christine Keegan (Mary and Martina) and Gertie Barrett (son Michael) outside Government Buildings in Dublin.

Gertrude Barrett's son Michael was killed that night. She said she is not looking for ‘closure’ from the inquest.

“Closure is too mild of a word,” she said. “You couldn’t have just a line and closure and ‘ah get on with it,” she said.

“What’s there to get on with? 40 years? What is there to get on with?

“No. I want justice.”

Experts from the Hillsborough disaster and Grenfell Tower tragedy investigations are said to be involved in the new inquest which is due to get underway at Dublin Castle in January.

Reporting from Kacey O'Riordan and Niall Colbert