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The coroner in charge of conducting the new Stardust investigations has said he will not be bound by the findings of previous investigations into the disaster, which he said caused one of the “largest incident-related loss of life in state history.” . .
“I hope that we can move forward in a positive way and not look back on what happened before,” Dr. Myra Cullinane said at today’s hearing before the investigations begin.
He also read the names of each of those who died in the fire at the Dublin District Forensic Court this afternoon, and said findings will be made regarding each individual who died.
Darragh Mackin, an attorney representing most of the families of the deceased, told the court that they had reached a “momentous step forward for the families,” that these new investigations would mark a “line in the sand” in previous investigations and that the families were confident “That this investigation will be the path to justice.”
Mackin also said it will be argued that there was a “state sponsored effort to cover up” what happened at the club in Artane, north of Dublin, nearly 40 years ago.
Today, the first pre-investigation hearing was held into the deaths of 48 people in the Stardust fire in February 1981.
Families have long campaigned for new investigations into the deaths of their loved ones, and in September 2019 the Attorney General ordered new investigations into the deaths.
At noon, the families gathered in front of Coroner’s Court on Store Street in Dublin.
In this year devastated by Covid, they felt hopeful as they welcomed the beginning of this long-awaited process. At one point, each of them held up a photo of their loved one who died in the fire.
Visibly excited at times, and all in matching masks, they dispersed to return home and watch the proceedings in the little court virtually. Only those representing stakeholders and members of the press were able to personally attend today’s hearing.
Dr. Cullinane began the proceedings this afternoon by outlining the instructions the Attorney General gave her to conduct further investigations into the fire.
The then AG Seamus Woulfe wrote: “I consider this to be in the public interest and justice.
Noting the comparison to the Hillsborough disaster, Woulfe said it was important that the facts were made public and that a full investigation “maximized the chances that the truth would emerge.”
Watching from their homes, the families listened to the reading of each of the 48 names in court.
Dr. Cullinane said, “I will allow time for each family to describe their loved one who died … [to] bring human details to those lost lives. “
She said these “pencil portraits” would emphasize the centrality of families within the inquiry process and would have a “significant engagement” in the proceedings.
While findings will be made regarding each individual who died, the coroner said “common circumstances” will be heard once, such as the cause of the fire and the circumstances that led to it.
Dr Cullinane said that, in ordering the new investigations, it had been the view that previous investigations may not have adequately investigated the cause of the fire, and this would be something that the new investigations would examine.
The parties that were represented at today’s hearing included legal representatives from 45 of the 48 families, the Dublin Fire Brigade, Dublin City Council and Eamon Butterly, the man who ran the Stardust location at the time of the fire.
Referring to the process of conducting these inquiries as “long and complex,” he said they would be entirely new inquiries, separate from the previous ones, which included original inquiries after the fire and a Court of Investigation.
“It must be emphasized that this will be entirely new research, not linked by any findings from that research or any other research,” said Dr. Cullinane.
“None of this will be to review or supplement the findings of previous research. These will be completely new forensic investigations.
I hope that we can move forward in a positive way and not look back at what has happened before.
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He also urged eyewitnesses who have not previously come forward to do so if they have information that may be relevant.
The coroner said: “If you think you have evidence that could help in these investigations, do not keep it for yourself.”
He directed them to the dedicated website created for the investigations, which contains details on how the investigation team can be contacted.
Addressing the court, attorney Darragh Macken said it was vitally important to put families at the “center of the process” and welcomed the idea of having pencil portraits like those that had been done in recent Grenfell investigations or Ballymurphy.
He said: “These families who have fought for 39 years have encountered obstacle after obstacle, in what we will say was a state sponsored effort to cover up what happened.”
Mackin said families had been dissatisfied with previous investigations and that these investigations were now an opportunity to “draw a line in the sand” and leave no stone unturned.
“The facts do not cease to exist and they will not be ignored,” he said. “Today marks the beginning of the path to justice for the 48.”
In yesterday’s budget, Public Spending and Reform Minister Michael McGrath said that specific funds had been set aside for Stardust investigations. In separate budget documents, it was confirmed that € 8 million was set aside for this process.
Outside of court today, Mackin welcomed this provision and said it would help support the smooth and effective conduct of investigations.
The next pre-investigation hearing is scheduled for six weeks. Full investigations are scheduled to begin at Dublin Castle in the new year.
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