Derry woman's 'carefree life cut short' by Stardust fire

Forty-eight young people died in the fire at the Dubllin nightclub in 1981

The inquest into the Stardust fire in the Republic of Ireland more than 40 years ago has heard the story of a woman from Northern Ireland who lost her life in the tragedy.

Forty-eight young people died in the blaze at the nightclub in Artane in north Dublin on St Valentine's night in 1981.

Susan Morgan's friend Yvonne Graham (nee Blackwell) described her as a tomboy who loved practical jokes.

The friends moved to Dublin from Londonderry during the Troubles.

"We had left a place which was in conflict and we had arrived in a city buzzing with life and freedom," said Ms Graham said.

They lived and worked in the Nazareth Care Home in Dublin.

Ms Graham became emotional as she spoke about the night of the fire and what she witnessed.

"We were only young, and we saw other young people die right in front of us," she told the inquest.

More than 800 people were at the disco when the fire took hold. The average age of the victims was 19.

The inquest is hearing from families, witnesses and experts and is expected to last about six months.

Ms Graham said she and another friend went to hospitals and then to a morgue to look for Ms Morgan.

"There was one shoe and the shirt she had been wearing - a shirt she had borrowed for the night from one of us - and her signet ring," she said.

"I was in bits. At Susie's wake there was talk about Susie's body and when I heard that it made me become hysterically upset."

The building was gutted by the blaze

After the tragedy Ms Graham talked about grief and blame for taking Ms Morgan away from her life in Derry.

"Our carefree life in Dublin was suddenly, brutally cut short. Our families wanted us back in Derry," she said.

"You go from being young, free, and single - well, single on and off! - and then the whole lot has just collapsed down on top of you.

"We never spoke about the trauma. We blocked it out."

Ms Graham also spoke about the lingering impact the Stardust tragedy had on her life.

She never allowed chip pans in her house and said when she went out she always checked for fire exits.

"Years after Susie was killed in the fire I was sitting in a pub in Shantallow in Derry," she said.

"The lights went out in the pub. I panicked and ran out the door.

"It's not only the obvious trauma; it's also the worries that shape the way you go about things every day."

Ms Graham said the families of those who died needed "to get justice now".

Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said the stories of the people who died underlined how their families are central to the inquest and should have an opportunity to publicly commemorate their loved ones.

The inquest is reported to be the biggest in Irish history.

An original inquest into the fire in 1982 lasted only five days and recorded the cause of the deaths in accordance with medical evidence, with no reference to the circumstances or the cause of the fire.

A tribunal held in the year after the fire, chaired by Justice Ronan Keane, was labelled flawed and its conclusion was contested by the victims' families.

It concluded the cause of the fire was "probably arson".

In 2009 an independent examination into the tribunal reported there was no evidence to support Justice Keane's finding that the fire was started deliberately near the ballroom of the nightclub.

After a long campaign by the victims' families, in 2019 then attorney general Seamus Woulfe directed that new inquests take place.