Margaret Thornton remembered in final Stardust inquest portraits

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The final pen portraits, including those of Margaret Thornton and Murtagh (Murty) Kavanagh, were presented at Dublin District Coroner’s Court on 18 May 2023.

Thornton’s sister, Patricia Greene, described Margaret as the baby of the family. Her friend Valerie Boyd recalled that Margaret borrowed a mauve suede bag before going to the Stardust with her boyfriend, Murty Kavanagh.

Kavanagh’s sister, Terry Jones, presented his portrait. She described his interests and recalled the family’s uncertainty after the fire, including that his remains were not identified for 25 years.

The report said the jury had heard portraits of all 48 people who died in the 1981 nightclub fire over 15 days. Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane thanked families for sharing private memories and said the presentations conveyed the disaster’s impact. The court was due to sit again the following Tuesday.