Taoiseach hopeful Stardust remembrance ceremony will go ahead this weekend

By Cate McCurry, PA

The Taoiseach said he is hopeful that a remembrance ceremony in honour of the victims of the Stardust fire will go ahead this weekend.

The state remembrance ceremony in honour 48 people who died in the 1981 Stardust disaster will take place on Sunday.

There have been reports that some family members will not attend the event because of issues over a redress scheme for survivors and family members of those who were killed in the fire.

The event will be held at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, with Simon Harris leading Government attendees at the event.

Asked whether the commemorative ceremony will still go ahead, Mr Harris said: “I certainly hope the commemoration does go ahead but the approach I have adopted to this is, nothing goes ahead without the families.

“We as a Government are very determined to work with the families.”

After more than 40 years of the victims’ families campaigning for justice, an inquest in April found that the 48 young people had been unlawfully killed.

Days later, Mr Harris apologised on behalf of the state to the families of the victims of the Dublin nightclub fire, who were aged between 16 and 27, and said the state “failed you when you needed us the most”.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Harris said: “We have been working now on a national day of commemoration that I think is really fitting and important, that as well as giving a state apology, that the state commemorates the families, the victims, the survivors, along with the President of Ireland, members of Government.

“Wreath-laying is right, is fitting and appropriate.

“But we are engaging with families because it is important to hear their voices.

“On the issue of redress, myself and the Tánaiste and the Government have been clear, redress will be provided to these families and we are going to continue to engage with the representatives of the families to see what process is best to put in place to bring a conclusion to it.”

Micheál Martin said the Government will work “hand-in-hand” with families to determine the next steps.

“We have committed to a redress scheme, obviously the precise nature of that is to be worked out with the families and with their legal representatives,” he added.