Courts / Dublin / Report

Day of 'difficult details' for families at Stardust inquest

Summary

An inquest jury heard harrowing accounts from former firefighters who described finding bodies in the Stardust nightclub so badly burnt they could not determine their gender, with some corpses discovered in pieces within the 'completely gutted' building. Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane acknowledged these were 'difficult details' for the families of the 48 victims of the 1981 fire. Noel Keegan testified about finding multiple bodies in the toilets, some still on fire, and described one body with exposed intestines. John Lehan noted the presence of 16 bodies near exit doors and suggested the fire spread rapidly. Garda Matthew Quinn described the severe burns on victims, with some having burst blisters. Other firefighters, including Frank Matthews and James Rowan, recounted finding unrecognisable bodies, some in pieces, and described the extensive damage to the building. The inquest continues tomorrow.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Day of 'difficult details' for families at Stardust inquest. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• 2023-12-07 Publication

Why: In a second statement, Mr Keegan said that the one dead body he clearly remembered was the one near the toilets because he and his colleagues appeared to have walked over it. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial

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Read the original CNI report