Irish Examiner view: Stardust verdict should never have taken this long
A woman prays at the site of the Stardust disaster in Artane yesterday. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins
Yesterday the verdict came in at last. The inquests into the Stardust tragedy began almost exactly one year ago, but in truth questions about that night have been asked for over four decades.
However, the inquest jury gave Dublin City Coroner Myra Cullinane an emphatic answer yesterday. It had reached the same verdict in the deaths of each individual — unlawful killing.
To say it has been a long road from the original tragedy to that verdict is a considerable understatement, but the full context must be given.
In the early hours of February 14, 1981, the Stardust, a popular north Dublin nightclub, was consumed by fire after a disco-dancing competition that had attracted hundreds of young people. A total of 48 people, many from the Artane and Coolock areas of Dublin, were killed in the blaze.
In 2019, after decades of campaigning by the families of victims, the attorney general finally granted new inquests into the deaths as there had been an “insufficiency of inquiry” at the original inquests, adding that it was in the public interest to hold these fresh inquests.
True enough, though it is surely always in the public interest to help members of the public seeking explanations for the sudden and unexpected deaths of their loved ones.
The years since Valentine’s Day 1981 have been testing ones for the families of those lost in the fire. They deserve huge credit and recognition for their dedication and dignity, for keeping faith with the commitment they made to the relatives they lost suddenly almost half a century ago — to establish the truth.
In doing so, many of them have paid a considerable price. As long ago as 1986, a victims' compensation tribunal set up by the government of the day heard harrowing testimony from the families of victims and from survivors of the blaze; they shared details of the immense psychological toll taken by the tragedy, a toll that was particularly harsh at a time when Ireland had few mental health support systems in place compared to today.
Those families would be forgiven for feeling there was a bittersweet quality to yesterday’s findings, given that many of the relatives who would have welcomed the verdict have passed away themselves, dying long before any kind of resolution was reached.
In that context, it is worth pointing out that yesterday’s verdict bluntly contradicting the findings of the original tribunal of inquiry chaired by Justice Ronan Keane was particularly striking. In November 1981, that tribunal found the Stardust fire had probably been caused by arson, a conclusion that looks more flawed this morning than ever before.
The verdict was not the afternoon’s only revelation. We also learned that Eamon Butterly, the former manager of the Stardust nightclub, had mounted a High Court bid to bring a legal challenge to the coroner’s decision allowing the jury to return a verdict of “unlawful killing”, though that was refused by the court. It was the second judicial review Mr Butterly had brought in respect of a possible verdict of unlawful death.
With all of that in mind, it is hardly a surprise that the families responded emotionally to the announcement of the verdict — or that they have called for a State apology, and with good reason. No family should have to wait over 40 years for closure, like the Stardust families.
After decades of campaigning, their vindication finally arrived, but it should never have taken this long.
The death was announced this week of well-known Cork broadcaster Alf McCarthy. He was aged 73.
In a long career, Mr McCarthy wore many different hats — from his time as a nightclub DJ in Cork's long-vanished Grand Parade Hotel to a stint in recent years as a podcast host.
He also co-hosted with Marty Whelan and Mary Kennedy, stood in for Derek Davis on , and presented RTÉ Radio 1’s show for 10 years.
On the production side, Mr McCarthy also boasted a healthy CV.
He helped to create comedy and satire series for television, such as , and .
Mr McCarthy then went on to producing and became involved in documentaries such as the , and .
For a sizeable constituency, however, he will always be associated with Cork Local Radio — the local radio service offered on Leeside by RTÉ Radio for more than 20 years — and with the general interest show at lunchtime, , in particular.
Broadcasting from the old RTÉ studios on Union Quay, Mr McCarthy’s smooth tones were complemented by other contributors who quickly became household names in the deep south — the likes of Donna O’Sullivan, Caimin Jones, Barraí Mescall, Tim Horgan, and Pat Butler were familiar voices to a generation of Corkonians.
In time, Cork Local Radio was overtaken by independent radio stations that offered full-time programming rather than a couple of hours in the middle of the day. RTÉ ended the service, though those other stations found that replicating the professionalism and broadcasting ability of the likes of Alf McCarthy was no easy matter.
At a time when creeping homogeneity threatens regional voices and local identities, it is worth remembering the service he and his dedicated colleagues gave Cork city for over 20 years.
Condolences to his family and friends.
