Nothavingatiemay havesavedhislife

February 1981

The lack of a neck tie probably saved a Wexford youth’s life over the weekend of tragedy when forty-four young people lost their lives in the Stardust fire disaster. Seventeen-year-old Seamus Maloney of St. Ita’s Terrace was refused entry to the ill-fated ballroom just hours before the tragedy struck – because, he was told, ‘you are not properly dressed, come back when you are wearing a tie’.

Seamus, a trainee technician with the P&T, was on the final day of a six-weeks course in Dublin and after a night of celebrations with other apprentices, decided to go to the disco.

The others were allowed in. One, Dubliner Liam Wade, was trampled on in the rush for the doors after the fire broke out, but managed to escape. But his twin brother is still listed as ‘missing’.

Seamus Maloney returned to his digs only a short distance from the Stardust in Fairview and decided not to change his clothes and return to the dance hall.

But before he did, he rang his parents to say he was staying over in Dublin and would not be home until the next day.

He told them of the neck tie incident at the Stardust and so set in motion hours of anguish which only ended when his mother and father heard he was safe and well on Saturday morning.

Said Mrs Mahoney: ‘We heard about the fire on the news on Saturday and I remembered Seamus saying he had been refused admission to the dance because he hadn’t a tie. He didn’t say if he was going to go back or not, and when we learned that the Stardust was near his digs, we were terribly worried.’

And she added: ‘it was only after several phone calls to his digs and friends on Saturday that we established he was all right.’

Meanwhile, nineteen-year-old Michael Ffrench of Crumlin, Dubiln, who is still listed as ‘missing’, has strong Wexford connections. His father comes originally from Ballycullane, and he has uncles in both Carrig-on-Bannow and Wexford town.