A day of sadness but also of vindication

ALL things come to those who wait, the saying goes. It’s not always true. Ask any family in Northern Ireland waiting to hear the truth of what happened to their loved ones in the countless atrocities that peppered the years of the Troubles.

Occasionally, prayers can be answered, even if it takes 40 years.

While the St Valentine’s night fire at the Stardust nightclub in 1981 may not have happened in Northern Ireland, three of the victims were from north of the border.

That night 48 people died in the Dublin blaze. Among them was Susan Morgan from Londonderry and James Millar and Robert Hillock from Twinbrook, west Belfast.

A tribunal, chaired by Justice Ronan Keane, was held the year following the fire. He concluded the cause was “probably arson”, which was contested by the victims’ families.

In 2009, an independent examination of the tribunal reported there was no evidence to support Justice Keane’s finding that the fire was started deliberately near the ballroom of the nightclub.

The fight by the families has continued for 43 years and it is testament to their determination to get to the truth that they have fought for so long.

What they have now is their verdict of ‘unlawful killing’. While it will not bring back loved ones, the emotions from family members who have been in attendance at the inquest were clear.

For all involved, it will have been a day of sadness and regret, but also of vindication that they have fought for the truth and finally it has been delivered.

Why it took so long, and why it was the families themselves who had to carry that burden for decades is another matter.

There will be many across Northern Ireland who seek their own answers taking heart from the Stardust Truth and Justice Committee campaign.

Three siblings of Louise Mcdermott were killed in the fire. Her mother Bridget was in court for the verdict. Louise said: “I’d really just like to say to the 48 now that we’re taking you out of the flames, the darkness and the smoke of the Stardust, and we’re bringing you back to the sunshine, and the light and the music, and you’re coming back to us, home.”

The least they deserved was that moment of vindication, that feeling of peace that finally their fight was at an end.

And that is exactly what families in Northern Ireland deserve too. That chance to hear what happened, that chance to find out the truth and that chance to finally deal with the past and move on towards the future.