Courts / Dublin / Report

Stardust survivor tells how husband died in the blaze hours after they celebrated daughter's first birthday

Summary

Christina Smyth, whose husband Jimmy Buckley died in the Stardust blaze, described the night of the fire as a "furnace" when she returned to the club after escaping through a fire exit. She last saw Jimmy sitting at their table while she was on the dancefloor, and later tried to find him again but could not. The inquest heard that the couple had attended the club to watch Jimmy's brother Errol win a disco competition, an event that also marked their daughter Julieann's first birthday. Smyth recalled seeing grey and black clouds roll across the ceiling and the frantic attempts to open doors. She testified that she and her brother‑in‑law Albert were pulled toward exit five, and that the doors were closed and people shouted they could not open them.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Stardust survivor tells how husband died in the blaze hours after they celebrated daughter's first birthday. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• February 13, 1981 Other
• 2023-11-07 Publication

Why: She agreed however there was no possibility of going back in at that stage, because things went from dancing and enjoying the evening to being completely incompatible with remaining inside extremely quickly. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial

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Read the original CNI report