The latest preliminary hearing of the Stardust fire inquests gets under way in Dublin this afternoon.
So, how did it get to this point? And what is expected to happen in the coming months as the inquests get under way?The fire at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, north Dublin, happened in the early hours of 14 February 1981. A Tribunal of Inquiry was quickly set up by the government. Its report concluded that the blaze was probably caused by arson. While it criticised some of the safety standards and how the venue was managed, the report's conclusion exonerated the owners of the Stardust from being legally responsible for what happened.
In September 2019, the Attorney General ordered that new inquests be conducted into the deaths of the 48 victims.In ordering the new inquests, the Attorney General said there had been "an insufficiency of inquiry as to how the deaths occurred". Families welcomed the granting of the inquests and believe it could provide answers to the answers they seek 40 years on.
Ms Barrett said she did not like the word closure but did hope that this process would bring justice. She said she felt she had served a life sentence of loss, as had every other family who suffered as a result of what happened that night.The delay surrounding access to legal aid had frustrated families further in the year of the 40th anniversary of the fire. With that issue now addressed, it is their hope the inquests can now proceed swiftly.
As per the dedicated website for the inquests, an inquest "is a fact-finding exercise, conducted where an individual has died in certain circumstances".