Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have very vivid memories of the Stardust fire. I was living in Darndale at the time and my dad was working nights, so he would come home from work and go to bed. We as kids would get up early and watch the television so my da could have his sleep. I remember going down. I cannot remember exactly what was on the TV that day but I remember flicking through the stations and the news of the Stardust came up on the screen. I remember running upstairs to wake my da to tell him about the fire. I remember the panic in his eyes as it dawned on him that the place would have been packed and that maybe some of his nieces or nephews would have been there. We had no house phone at the time and the nearest phone was up the road from us. When we got there, there was a queue of people, all distressed, who were all there for the same reason. They were trying to locate their loved ones and to make sure they were OK.

In the days that followed we saw funeral after funeral. A dark cloud hung over our community, a dark cloud that hung for far, far too long. The memories of that night will stick with our community forever, generations of people who live with both the mental and the physical scars caused not only by that fire but by the treatment of people in our community by the State in the weeks, months and years that followed. We were told that the cause of the fire was probable arson, while none of the victims' families believed that to be the case. I cannot overstate how insulting that initial finding was not only to the victims and the survivors but to our community as a whole. The trauma is still felt to this day, the trauma of the tragedy and the trauma of the way in which the families of the victims and the survivors were treated. From day one in the eyes of this State they did not matter. Instead it was abuse after abuse, insult after insult, dismissal after dismissal. Here is the truth: they did matter and they do matter.

As a TD for Dublin Bay North I am proud to look at the Public Gallery today and to be here with you while the State gives its long-overdue apology. Those beautiful young people, who had their whole lives ahead of them, mattered. They had hopes, they had dreams, likes and dislikes, hobbies and interests, and all that was taken from them. They were dehumanised and, as their families said, they were bagged and tagged, their beautiful loved ones reduced to numbers.

The pen portraits at the fresh inquest tried to undo some of that damage, and I commend Dr. Cullinane on facilitating the use of pen portraits. It enabled the families to rehumanise their loved ones, to share with the world everything they loved about them. The world got to know the victims, like Michael Barrett who, in the words of this mother, had a great sense of humour and was always willing to lend a hand; Richard Bennett, a wise head on young shoulders who looked after his family and put bread on the table; Carol Bissett, who was academically gifted and had a real ear for music; Jimmy Buckley, an avid GAA fan who did a cracking impersonation of Elvis Presley and was caring and a loving brother; Paula Byrne, a people's person who cared greatly for her family and her friends; Caroline Carey, a talented singer and dancer; John Colgan, who his sister described as a charmer, always seeking to put a smile on people's faces; Jacqueline Croker, a Roches Stores employee, a hard worker with family at heart and who was loving and kind; Liam Dunne, a trainee butcher and a friend to many; Michael Farrell, a loving son who would have moved heaven and earth for his mother at the drop of a hat; Michael Ffrench, who was training to be an auto electrician and who could turn his hand to anything;

David Flood, who talked about owning his own shoe shop and was handy with a guitar in hand; Thelma Frazer, a beautiful, wide smile and a gentle and kind soul; Josephine Glen, described as kind and loving, who was happy to babysit for her neighbours because she loved kids; Michael Griffiths, a happy, outgoing man who loved his family and they all looked up to him; Robert Hillick, who grew up in Belfast and came to work in Dublin on the building sites after he left school; Brian Hobbs, the youngest of seven, was a good worker who loved travelling and loved making friends; Eugene Hogan, a beautiful singer who was due to move to Kerry with his wife and two young daughters; Murtagh Kavanagh, who enjoyed cooking, fishing and music, and worked as a heating insulator; Martina Keegan, described as a best friend to her sisters and someone they could always confide in; Mary Keegan, who idolised her siblings and who was described as beautiful inside and out; Robert Kelly, a lover of music, who enjoyed his job working on the boats and was idolised by all who knew him; Mary Kenny, a loving big sister who was kind, funny and a great friend and had a passion for dancing and fashion; Marie Kennedy, who was described by her younger sister as warm, caring, lively and protective; Margaret Kiernan, who was a lover of sports and socialising, a deeply caring person with many, many friends; Sandra Lawless, a generous sister who loved outdoor activities and outdoor life; Francis and Maureen Lawlor, husband and wife, parents of Lisa, who was orphaned at 17 months; Paula Lewis, a fan of Abba, the Bay City Rollers and The Osmonds, was a loving big sister; Eamonn Loughman, a protective big brother whose parents passed away without seeing truth or justice for Eamonn; Donna Mahon worked in the local newsagents, which fitted nicely with her because she loved people; Helena Mangan, a mother, who was kind, caring, loving, brave and strong; William McDermott, a protective big brother who was described as a gentle giant; George McDermott, a joker of the family, a gentle person with a cheeky grin that said he could be up to anything; Marcella McDermott, who spoiled her nephews and was a keen singer and dancer; Julie McDonald, who did everything to please her mother and siblings, a hard worker who was fun loving; Teresa McDonnell, who had a perspective for living life and enjoying every moment of her short life; Gerard McGrath, who had a unique passion for wildlife and extensive knowledge of garden birds; Caroline McHugh, a keen academic with a passion for the arts; James Miller, engaged to Marion, who travelled the world in the merchant navy by the age of 21, before settling back in Dublin; Susan Morgan, a lover of football who moved from Derry to work in Nazareth House care home on Malahide Road; David Morton, a big brother who was football mad and loved socialising with his friends; Kathleen Muldoon, a mature young woman who cared much for her parents, her brothers and her sisters; George O'Connor, quiet and reserved, was adored by his younger siblings; Brendan O'Mara, who loved darts and football and was a brilliant Irish dancer; John Stout, a sensitive, gentle person who loved horses, snooker and Elvis; Margaret Thornton, who loved music and concerts, and going out with her family and friends, had plans to travel to Australia; Paul Wade, a twin, a loving brother, who was described as outgoing and the social focus of his family.

I would like to finish by using the words of Louise Leech of the McDermott family. On the day of the verdicts she said, "We're taking you out of the flames, the darkness and the smoke of the Stardust, and we're bringing you back to the sunshine and the light and the music. And you're coming back to us."

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