A verdict of unlawful killing has been delivered in the inquests into the 1981 Stardust fire in Dublin
Forty-eight people died in the blaze where 800 people were attending a Valentine's Day disco
The victims were aged between 16 and 27
The jury found the fire started in the hot press in the main bar and was caused by an electrical fault
The original inquest, in 1981, ruled the fire started because of arson, a theory which was never accepted by the families of victims.
The inquests began in April 2023 and heard from 370 witnesses
The coroner directed the jury to deliver a majority verdict after days of deliberations
Survivors and family members have gathered in the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin.
We're expecting to hear from some of them in the next few minutes.
Image source, PA MediaSinn Féin President and TD for Dublin Central Mary Lou McDonald said justice had been a long time coming.
"Today it arrives," she said on social media.
"The verdict of unlawful killing confirms what survivors, victims families & Dubliners have always known.
"The 48 young lives taken in the Stardust will be forever missed by those that love them. Now each family has the comfort of knowing the truth of that night & why their loved one died."
Image source, PA MediaMs McDonald added that the families of the victims had overcome "countless cruel obstacles".
"They have overcome. We salute them.
"The 48 young people who died on St Valentines morning 1981 will be forever remembered."
Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Simon Harris pays tribute to the victims, injured and their families.
He says the families never gave up on justice for their loved ones.
In a statement, he says the tragedy was one of the "darkest moments in our history, a heart-breaking tragedy because of the lives that were lost, the families that were changed forever, and the long, drawn-out struggle for justice that followed.
"For over four decades, the families of the victims have carried the weight of this tragedy with unwavering strength and dignity," he says.
He says theirs was a "relentless pursuit of truth and accountability" with overwhelming challenges and setbacks and it was a fight for their loved ones and a campaign to "ensure that such a disaster never happens again."
He says the government will consider this verdict in full and the recommendations of the jury.
Speaking directly to the families of the 48 young people, Harris adds: "You never gave up on justice for them, you never let Ireland forget about them.
"They were never alone, and our country owes you a great debt for that."
Image source, Brian Lawless/PA WireThe coroner, Dr Myra Cullinane, says jurors heard difficult testimony and pays tribute to them.
People in court stood up and applauded them.
Dr Cullinane says the Stardust inquests were the longest running in Irish history and that jurors had stood outside their normal lives to attend court.
She says it is a "great act of public service".
She also pays tribute to the families.
"To the families, I acknowledge the deaths of these 48 young people is a source of ongoing grief to those who loved them and it remains the defining loss of their lives," she says.
"However, I hope that family members will have taken some solace from the fact that these fresh inquests were held, that the facts surrounding the deaths were examined in detail, that moving testimony was heard from many of those involved in the events of the night and, most importantly, that you the families felt fully involved in proceedings, however difficult it was to hear all of the evidence."
She says that the fact that the inquests were been held at all is "in no small part due to the persistence and commitment of families over the years."
Finally she remembers the 48 young people who died.
"It is their lives that we've sought to vindicate by way of these inquests," she says.
There were 48 victims of the fire in 1981.
It's been an emotional morning for the families in court.
They cheered and applauded when the verdict from the 12 person jury was read out.
Other findings include that the gardaí (Irish police) arrived at 01:50 local time and that 42 people died on premises. There were 48 victims in total.
The jury's final verdict for each death is unlawful killing.
The coroner continues - the fire was first seen in the ballroom of the Stardust between 01:35 and 01:40.The height of the ceiling and materials in the bar were found to have contributed to the fire.
The carpet tiles on the wall contributed to the spread of the fire.
Lack of visibility, lack of knowledge of layout of building, toxicity of smoke and gases are all found to have contributed.
Heat of the fire and speed of spread are found to have contributed as did failure of emergency lighting system and lack of preparedness of staff.
Emergency exits were locked chained or otherwise obstructed.
Victims were impeded in their ability to exit.
For all 48 deaths, the jury found that the fire began in a hot press in the bar.
The cause of the fire was found to be an electrical fault in the hot press.
The fire was first seen outside the building between 01:20 and 01:40.
Instructing the jury last month, the coroner told them there were five verdicts open - accidental death, death by misadventure, unlawful killing, an open verdict or a narrative verdict.
An accidental death is returned when a sudden or unanticipated occurrence leads to a death.
Similarly, death by misadventure is where something has happened which appears to be an accident and leads to a death.
However, there is an additional feature of a risk that has contributed in a significant way to the death.
Unlawful killing is reserved for situations such as murder, infanticide, or manslaughter.
An open verdict means that the evidence does not fully or clearly explain the cause and circumstances of death. It is most commonly used when none of the other verdicts are appropriate.
A narrative conclusion sets out the facts surrounding the death in more detail.
This longer explanation will include the jury's conclusions on the main issues arising surrounding circumstances of the death.
Aoife Moore
BBC Dublin Reporter
Witnesses from the night said the darkness of the disco and smoke machine disguised the danger at first, until the ceiling collapsed.
One survivor who was separated from her husband said she knew when she watched the roof fall that he was dead.
A mix of smoke, ash and fire filled the room. The thick 1980s carpets provided a natural accelerant and the fire quickly took hold.
One witness said it smelled like a chip pan, like the smell of grease heating up.
The young people rushed to fire exits to find they were locked or chained closed, the inquests heard.
The club's then manager Eamon Butterly has since said the exits had been locked because "a large number of people were getting in for free due to the actions of their friends who were opening exit doors from the inside”.
Read more here.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe jury has told the coroner it has reached the same verdict in all 48 cases.
Details relating to each of the victims are now being read out in court.
Victims' families are gathering in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin where the verdicts will be announced.
Earlier today they paid tribute on social media.
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Image source, Olivier Matthys Credit EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockTaoiseach (prime minister) Simon Harris says he is “extremely conscious of the fact that this must be an extraordinarily difficult and emotional day for all of the families involved”.
He adds he will be ready to “interact and engage” with the families once the inquest outcome is known.
Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin says the verdicts will be a “huge moment” for the families and the entire country.
"The Stardust tragedy is seared on the collective consciousness of the Irish people and the tenacity of the families and their success in securing this inquest has been a service to all in society,” he continues.
Susan Morgan, from Londonderry, was one of three people from Northern Ireland killed in the fire.
Speaking before the verdict, her brother Paul says he remembers her as lovely and bubbly.
Her friend Yvonne Graham, who survived the blaze, says she wants justice for the 48 people who died.
A number of families have arrived at Dublin District Coroner’s Court ahead of the verdicts.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ reports among them is Colm O’Brien, who was one of the DJs on the night of the fire.
Phyllis and Maurice McHugh, whose daughter Caroline died in the fire are also attending.
Image source, Brian Lawless/PAThe verdicts are expected to be delivered from 14:00 local time.
The jury retired on 3 April and, after 11 days of deliberations, yesterday the coroner said she would accept a majority verdict.
The 12-person jury is made up of seven women and five men.
More than 800 people were attending a Valentine’s Day disco at the Stardust ballroom in north Dublin when a fire took hold in the early hours of the morning.
Forty-eight people died, the youngest aged 16 and the oldest aged 27.
The cause of the fire has never been determined.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn 1982, an original inquest lasted for 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 which found the cause of the fire to be “probably arson” was labelled flawed by the families who contested its conclusion.
In 2019, the Republic of Ireland’s attorney general confirmed an application for new inquests had been successful after years of campaigning by the families.
They began in April 2023 and have heard from 370 witnesses over 122 days.
Welcome to our live coverage as the verdicts are delivered in the Stardust Inquests.
They have been examining the deaths of 48 people in a fire at the ballroom in north Dublin in 1981.
We will bring you the latest developments and reaction from the families.