Courts / Dublin / Report

Electrician noticed 'flickering' sign that 'could cause a fire', Stardust inquest hears

Summary

An electrician, Stephen Byrne, who worked at Cadburys in Coolock, attended the Stardust on the night of the fatal fire on 13 February 1981. He observed a neon roof sign that was dimming and flickering, which he believed was due to an electrical fault that could cause a fire. Byrne, with 20 years of experience, especially in high‑voltage neon signs, said the flickering could have been caused by degassing, a faulty transformer or a faulty connection, the latter being the most likely to arc and ignite a fire. He made a deposition on 16 February 1981, which was read to the inquest. The inquest also heard that the Stardust had been open for three years, had three venues, and that staff had noticed smoke and power outages months before the blaze.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Electrician noticed 'flickering' sign that 'could cause a fire', Stardust inquest hears. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• February 13, 1981 Hearing Or Sentence
• February 16, 1981 Other
• February 13 Other
• September 1, 1981 Other
• February 11, 1981 Incident
• December 1980 Incident
• 2023-06-09 Publication

Why: She told the jury the sparks made loud cracking noises and were so big she wanted to leave the venue because she was afraid a fire was going to break out. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial

Related court reports

• Man charged with having 56k child abuse images and videos remanded on bail
• Ex-Dáil hopeful's allegations against former employer 'complete fantasy', WRC told
• Mater must pay €10k to worker who said he was wrongly accused of abusing patient
• 'I think we know I won't be getting bail' - Daniel Kinahan charged with directing criminal organisation
• Letting agent who claimed alleged domestic violence victim abandoned tenancy by fleeing to refuge must pay €14.7k
• 77-year-old with 470 convictions told Luas staff to 'f**k off'

Read the original CNI report