Stardust jury told they are ‘arbiters of facts’ as summary of evidence begins

Inquest into the deaths of 48 young people in 1981 fire began last April

The jury at the Stardust inquest have begun hearing a summary of some of the key evidence outlined in the almost year-long inquiry into the deaths of 48 people in the blaze.

Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane is providing a summary of witness evidence at the inquest, which is being held at Dublin District Coroner’s Court on the grounds of the Rotunda Hospital.

As the inquest draws near a close, the jury has been reminded of details given by witnesses of the fire, including door and bar staff, as well as the former manager of the Stardust, Eamon Butterly. The inquest into the deaths began last April.

Dr Cullinane will address the jury for a number of days before they retire to deliberate and come back with a verdict.

The fire in Artane, north Dublin, broke out in the early hours of Valentine’s Day in 1981.

The new inquest, which is the longest ever held in Ireland, is coming to an end following months of evidence.

Dr Cullinane told the jury they have heard evidence from witnesses across 95 days, and have shown “great commitment” throughout the stressful proceedings.

She also said it is their responsibility to consider all the evidence and return a verdict.

The coroner said she would instruct them on the law that applies to their deliberations.

Dr Cullinane also said the jurors were the arbiters of the facts, and she would go through the verdicts available for them to return.

The jurors were also told by the coroner that she would go through a list of questions or issues she prepared that will help structure their findings.

She said they should approach their task in an objective manner and that they will have heard discrepancies and conflicting evidence from different witnesses, but it is up to them to “accept or reject” it.

She told the inquest they had heard evidence from 373 people, including three forensic pathologists and three fire experts.

Yesterday morning, Dr Cullinane went through the evidence concerning planning and design, which included statements from people relating to events in the years and months leading up to the fire.

Dr Cullinane is summarising the evidence from a number of architects, engineers, building surveyors and electrical inspectors, as well as evidence from a salesman from a floor covering company that supplied carpet tiles that were used on the walls of the premises.

She is also providing a summary from Mr Butterly, who sat in the witness box for eight days last year.

The jury was reminded how an insurer visited the Stardust venue months before the fire and refused to provide a quote for fire cover, and how the use of carpet tiles on the walls was the “most significant contributor” to the spread of the fire.

The jury heard again how there were a number of incidents leading up to the fire, including possible electrical issues, sightings of smoke in the premises by staff as well as complaints in relation to blocked doors and exit pathways.

The inquest heard that a week before the fire, Fr Dermod McCarthy, a member of All Priests Show, performed at the Stardust.

He tried to leave halfway through the show through an exit, but there were chains across the door, which was locked. He gave evidence that he spent five minutes trying to open the door, but was unable to and left through the main entrance.

Another performer, who played in a tribute band, gave evidence that he saw yellow sparks coming from the back of the hall a week before the fire.

Jurors were also reminded that staff working at the Stardust said they received no fire safety training and were not aware of a fire evacuation plan.

Dr Cullinane was told of how some door staff said a policy came into place before the fire that involved keeping exit doors locked when members of the public were on site to prevent people getting in for free, despite this contravening by-laws.

An original inquest in 1982 lasted just five days and recorded the cause of deaths in accordance with medical evidence, with no reference to the circumstances or the cause of the fire.

In 2019, after a long campaign by the victims’ families, then-attorney general Séamus Woulfe directed that new inquests should take place.

‘Original probe in 1982 lasted just five days and recorded the cause of deaths in accordance with medical evidence’