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The Darkest Hour: The Tragedy of the Stardust Fire
On Valentine’s Day 1981, several Dublin families were woken in the early hours of the morning by frantic neighbours searching for their children. They had left hours earlier on Friday evening to attend a Valentine’s Day disco at a local nightclub, the Stardust in Artane, north Dublin. Some of the parents had heard rumours of a fire or other disaster. For many of those families, they would never see their children again. By morning, 44 people would be dead, with four more dying from their injuries within several weeks, and a further 214 injured. This is the story of the Stardust Fire, the worst tragedy of its kind in Irish history.
Listen to the podcast episode on this case here:
The Valentine’s Disco
It was Friday 13th February 1981, the eve of Valentine’s Day. Throngs of young people in Dublin North-East were preparing to attend a Valentine’s Day disco at the Stardust nightclub on Kilmore Road, Artane. The Stardust was one of the most popular entertainment venues in north Dublin.