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STARDUST: Victims remembered on anniversary of Valentine’s Day nightclub tragedy
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STARDUST: Victims remembered on anniversary of Valentine’s Day nightclub tragedy

THE victims of a fire which broke out in a Dublin nightclub 42 years ago today have been remembered.

In the early hours of Valentine's Day, February 14, 1981, hundreds of people were attending a disco at Stardust nightclub in Artane.

Tragedy hit when a fire broke out at the venue, killing 48 of those in attendance and injuring more than 200 others.

Today, Martina Hand, pictured below at the Shrine of St Valentine in Dublin’s Whitefriar Street Church, was among those commemorating the victims on the anniversary of the fire.

Pictured at the Shrine of St. Valentine in Whitefriar Street Church, Martina Hand holds a candle in commemoration of the Stardust victims on the 42nd anniversary of the tragedy

Over the weekend a candlelit vigil was also held at the site of the St Valentine’s Day blaze to mark the anniversary.

During the event the Stardust Victims Committee lit 48 candles in honour of every person who died in the disaster.

The memorial plaque unveiled at Butterly Business Park of loved ones who died in the Stardust Fire

 

The North Dublin community Gospel Choir and Dublin Fire Brigade Pipe Band performed music throughout the afternoon, during which the new Stardust Victims Eternal Memorial was unveiled at Butterly Business Park.

Retired RTÉ broadcaster Charlie Bird was on hand to unveil the tribute.

Former RTE reporter Charlie Bird, with his wife Claire, joined the families of the Stardust victims at Butterly Business Park over the weekend

Mystery and controversy still surrounds the events at Stardust on Valentine's Day 1981, with the families of those killed still searching for answers.

New inquests into the deaths are set to open on April 19, 2023.