Butterly Business Park, site of the former Stardust building. Some of front facade of the original building remains.
Date
14 February 1981 (1981-02-14)
Venue
Stardust nightclub
Location
Artane, Dublin, Ireland
Type
Fire
Cause
Electrical fault[1]
Deaths
48
Non-fatal injuries
214
The Stardust fire was a fatal fire which took place at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin, Ireland, in the early hours of 14 February (Valentine's Day) 1981. More than 800 people were attending a disco there, of whom 48 died and 214 were injured as a result of the fire; in later years suicides of survivors and family members were also linked to the event.
The club was located in what was formerly known as Butterly Business Park, now renamed Artane Business Park, opposite Artane Castle Shopping Centre. The escape of the disco attendees was hampered by chains and padlocks on multiple exits, by barred windows, and further by failure of the lighting system. Attendees at another event in the same building escaped without loss of life. A small part of the building including most of the front elevation remains to this day but the remnants of the nightclub section have since been demolished.
Initially, the cause of the fire was not conclusively determined; an initial determination of arson was later found to have been one of a number of hypotheses, and unproveable. Due to the arson finding, and despite criticism of safety points, the owners of the building claimed and received public compensation, and were not liable to civil action from the families of the deceased, and survivors. No charges were ever brought against any party for the causing of the fire or the loss of life. After reviews, and years of campaigning, in 2019 it was announced that fresh inquests would take place for the 48 victims, and these commenced in 2023. In 2024 the Dublin District Coroners Court found, in a majority verdict, that all 48 people died as a result of unlawful killing.[1]
The Stardust Memorial Park was built in Bonnybrook, Coolock, on the banks of the Santry River, some distance from the site of the disaster, and later a monument was also established at the Stardust site. Multiple documentaries related to the fire have been made.
^ abMoore, Aoife (18 April 2024). "Jury delivers unlawful killing verdict in Stardust inquest". BBC. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
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