'Our friends died in a hotel crush - the seven-year legal wait hangs over us'

Darragh Dalton

It was almost seven years ago that Jack McCullagh and Darragh Dalton were caught up in a crush outside a hotel in which their teenage friends died.

In the time since, they've done GCSEs, A-Levels, degrees and set themselves up for careers in finance and business – and still their wait for answers on what happened in Cookstown, County Tyrone, goes on.

Hundreds of teenagers were caught up in the horror outside the Greenvale Hotel on 17 March 2019, with three young people losing their lives - Lauren Bullock, 17; Morgan Barnard, 17; and Connor Currie, 16.

Two men have been jointly charged with unlawful killing but, with no trial date set and defence lawyers attempting to have the case thrown out, the friends and families of the victims continue to wait for the day when they will have to relive that night in court.

The victims of the Greenvale Hotel crush: Lauren Bullock, 17; Morgan Barnard, 17; and Connor Currie, 16

Mr Dalton told BBC News NI's The State of Us podcast that he used to have regular panic attacks over what happened and said the idea of a future court date is "in the back of your mind all the time".

"I guess for everyone involved in this, it's still an open wound, and it will continue to be so until something changes," added Mr McCullagh.

The two spoke to the podcast, along with Jimmy Bradley and Eamon Currie, the fathers of Morgan and Connor.

Mr Bradley described the delay as "shocking", adding he felt "let down" that Justice Minister Naomi Long had turned down requests from the families for a meeting.

Also speaking for the first time to BBC News NI, Mary Bullock, Lauren's mother, said she is equally shocked by how long the process has taken but also worries about the impact on the other young people who were at the Greenvale.

"It's hard enough for us going into court.

"These children will have to relive this again," she added

A Department of Justice spokesperson said the justice minister was "deeply saddened" by the tragedy but that it would be "inappropriate for the minister to become involved in individual cases or to comment of the court proceedings" given it is "live in the courts".

Jack McCullagh, a childhood friend of Morgan Barnard and Connor Currie, was at the Greenvale Hotel when the crush happened

For friends and families of the victims, the seven-year wait for answers means lessons cannot be learned.

"If I don't know how this happened, and the authorities don't know how this happened – what caused this – then how can you put something in place to prevent it happening again?," said Mr Currie.

What happened at the Greenvale Hotel?

A forensic officer outside the Greenvale Hotel on 18 March 2019, the day after the crush occurred

Mr Dalton said he and Connor were both looking forward to the 2019 St Patrick's Day disco at the Greenvale Hotel for about a month beforehand.

"I lent him my top, he wore that on the night. We were both spraying each other with aftershave, you know, young lads of 16 thinking you're men - we never became the men but we felt like we were.

"We felt like we could do anything when we were with each other."

At about 21:30 GMT a crush developed as large numbers of people queued outside the venue, with one eyewitness describing a rush forward, in which "the whole queue collapsed and everyone fell to the ground".

Jack McCullagh as a young boy with his friends Connor Currie (left) and Morgan Barnard (right)

Mr McCullagh travelled to the disco on a bus with Morgan. He was wearing a short-sleeve shirt and recalled telling his friend he was "freezing" on his way into the venue.

"He didn't say nothing to me, he just took off the jacket that he was wearing and gave me his jacket and I put it on and, obviously, when he passed away I was wearing that jacket."

He recalled the crush being so severe his arms were pinned to his side and he couldn't get his phone out of his pocket to call for help.

Mr Dalton, likewise, remembered being pinned to a wall, feeling that it was "life or death".

He later saw a group of people circled around someone lying on the ground wearing a green top - he knew it was Connor.

"I identified the body that night," he said. "I was kept behind. I was the last teenager off the Greenvale premises."

Mr McCullagh added: "There's survivor's guilt immediately after. You're like: 'My two friends are gone and I'm still here' and it doesn't sit right with me that that's the case."

Why is the Greenvale case taking so long?

Jimmy Bradley (left) and Eamon Currie

A year after the crush, police described the investigation as "complex" with "substantial amounts of evidence" involving CCTV, mobile phone footage and more.

In 2022, Michael McElhatton, of Rock Road, Moneymore, and Seamus Mitchell, of Mullan Road, Coagh, were charged with a number of offences, including a joint charge of unlawful killing.

Lawyers for both men have lodged a no bill application, which argues neither men have a case to answer.

That application is still being considered by the courts.

Family photos of Jimmy Bradley and his son Morgan Barnard (left) and Connor Currie with his father Eamon

Statistics from 2023-2024 indicate that the average time taken for a charge case to be dealt with at Crown Court was 551 days, or about a year and a half.

Almost seven years on from what happened at Greenvale, and more than seven months on from the last court date, Mr Bradley and Mr Currie said the families feel out of the loop.

Mr Bradley said the families asked the justice minister for a meeting three years ago, which she refused due a pending decision from prosecutors on whether to bring charges.

A further request for a meeting since, he said, was turned down due to charges having been brought and the case being live before the courts.

However, he insisted, the families do not want to discuss the live case, but rather the ongoing issues with legal delays and the amount of time the process is taking.

A Department of Justice spokesperson said that while it was "inappropriate" for the minister to meet while the case is before the courts, she "is always willing to meet with victims at the conclusion of proceedings to understand their experiences of the process and to seek to make improvements".

A spokesperson for the Lady Chief Justice said it was not appropriate for her to comment on an individual case before the court but a listing date for a ruling in the no bill application is expected soon.

Greenvale delays 'an open wound'

For the families, the delays have taken a toll - Mr Currie says he apologises to his son for not getting answers yet when he visits his grave.

But both also point to how its affected the many young people who could be asked to give evidence at a future trial.

"To open that wound on those young people – that's hard, that's tough," said Mr Currie, who described the fortitude of Connor's young friends following the tragedy as "amazing".

Mr McCullagh describes the "closeness" he feels to the families as a parting gift from Morgan and Connor.

The ongoing delay, however, means that "the families can't just move on" while those who were there "have this hanging over them at all times".

You can listen to more of Jimmy Bradley and Eamon Currie's story on The State of Us now via BBC Sounds – a second episode featuring interviews with Jack McCullagh and Darragh Dalton will be available on Thursday.