Taoiseach apologises 'unreservedly' to Stardust families

Survivors and relatives of the victims of the Stardust fire walked through Dublin on Saturday

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Simon Harris says he has "apologised unreservedly" to the families of the victims of the Stardust fire.

"I will do so on behalf of the State on Tuesday next," he added.

More than 70 survivors and relatives met Mr Harris at Government Buildings in Dublin on Saturday.

In a statement, Mr Harris said the meeting was a "humbling and emotional" experience and he thanked those that attended.

On Valentine's night in 1981, 48 young people died in a blaze at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, north Dublin.

On Thursday, the jury in the inquests into the fire found the victims had been unlawfully killed.

Simon Harris greeted the families as they arrived at Government Buildings in Dublin

An original inquest, in 1981, ruled the fire started because of arson, a theory which was never accepted by the families of victims. That ruling was dismissed in 2009.

Following their 43-year battle for justice - members of the Stardust families said they deserved a formal apology for the way in which the State handled the nightclub disaster.

Speaking after Saturday's meeting, Stardust survivor Antoinette Keegan said Mr Harris called out the names of all the victims and will do so again in the Dáil (lower house of parliament) chamber on Tuesday.

Ms Keegan told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that she found Mr Harris's actions "very, very positive", however the families would not accept the apology unless it was "done right".

"I’m feeling very positive that we’ve been listened to after 43 years," she said. "The government acknowledges the pain and suffering they’ve put us through."

Earlier on Saturday, the families met Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald who said it had been an "incredible" and "emotional" morning.

"It is essential that a State apology is now made and that it addresses the failures of governments not just 43 years ago in the aftermath of this tragedy but every day since then," she told RTÉ.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said it was essential for the State to issue an apology

What did the Stardust inquest jury find?

The inquest, the longest running and largest in the Republic of Ireland’s history, was held at Dublin City Coroner's Court.

It sat for 122 days and heard testimony from 373 witnesses.

The fire was first seen outside the building between 01:20 and 01:40 local time. Gardaí (Irish police) arrived at 01:50.

The jury found the height of the nightclub ceiling and materials in the bar, including carpet tiles on the wall, were found to have contributed to the blaze.

The aftermath of the fire at the Stardust nightclub in Dublin

Lack of visibility, lack of knowledge of the building and thick, toxic smoke were found to have made it more difficult for people to leave.

In addition, the heat of the fire, speed of its spread, failure of the emergency lighting system and lack of preparedness of staff played a part.

Emergency exits were locked, chained or otherwise obstructed and victims were impeded in their ability to exit.

The jury found that 42 people died on the premises.