Meathman's Diary: Remembering the lost souls of the Stardust

Normally, services of commemoration in the Garden or Remembrance are for the fallen heroes of long ago wars or rebellions, but on Sunday an extraordinary event took place off Parnell Square in Dublin.

It was a service of remembrance for the 48 young people – one a mother-to-be – who perished in the Stardust tragedy of St Valentine's Day in 1981, when fire broke out in a north Dublin nightclub.

It took 43 years and 64 days for an inquest to deliver a verdict of unlawful killing, when for the first time the cause of the fire was found to be an electrical fault, with foam in seats, carpet tiles on the walls, low ceiling heights, lack of visibility, and chained exits contributing to the rapid spread of the fire.

Taoiseach, Simon Harris, who took part in Sunday's ceremony, issued a State Apology to the families of the 48 “who never came home” in Dáil Eireann on 23rd April. Sadly, it came late for Julia and Hugh Muldoon of Ballyhist, Carnaross, parents of student nurse Kathleen Muldoon, who died in the fire, and who had both died within the 13 months preceding the State Apology. John Muldoon, brother of Kathleen, expressed his regret to Kitty Holland of the Irish Times that they had not lived to “see the day her name was cleared”. (The original cause of the fire had been blamed on arson, leaving a dark cloud hanging over all those who had been there that night.)

Maurice McHugh, who read Kathleen's pen picture at Sunday's ceremony, said in his introduction that “I have the feeling that we had the presence of the 38 victims here today.”

But the spirits of their families were there also, people like Julia and Hugh Muldoon, who had carried the sorrow for so long; Christine Keegan, who lost two daughters and had campaigned for the truth, and the late RTE reporter, Charlie Bird.

“Kathleen Muldoon, good natured and thoughtful, who wanted to be a nurse, and cared for those around her,” read Maurice McHugh as Hugh Muldoon jnr laid a wreath on behalf of the Muldoon family.

It was impossible not to be touched when Mary Byrne and Kayleigh Cullinane sang 'This is the Moment' as the sun shone on the wreaths floating on the cruciform water feature. The music and songs chosen all struck a chord – the North Dublin Community Gospel Choir with Pink's 'What About Us?', and Coldplay's 'Fix You'; Eddie Sherlock with 'You'll Never Walk Alone', amongst others. The entire ceremony, with its suitable solemnity, also reflected that these were young people being remembered, reflected in their pen pictures as just starting out in life, breadwinners for younger members of the family, younger sisters or big brothers, who loved music, or their work.

That so many were fans of Elvis reminded us that the singer was only four years dead at the time himself, which just goes to show how long the families have been fighting this cause. That it took so long is a shame on all of us, but let us hope Sunday's ceremony provides some solace to all those affected.