Taoiseach to issue long-awaited State apology to families of Stardust victims today

Plans will be drawn up to commemorate the Stardust disaster, as Taoiseach Simon Harris will today issue a State apology at 2pm to the families of the Stardust fire tragedy.

Over 40 years after the blaze that ripped through the nightclub in north Dublin, Harris will deliver a state apology in the Dáil this afternoon to the families of the victims in the fire, which claimed 48 lives. It is also expected that he will ask Justice Minister Helen McEntee and other ministers to “report back” on the implementation of the inquest jury’s recommendations.

After a more than 40-year campaign for justice, last week an inquest found that all of the victims had been unlawfully killed. The inquests, which began in April 2023 and involved 95 days of evidence, were the longest ever held in Ireland and came after decades of campaigning by the families and loved ones of those who perished.

The Department of An Taoiseach will also be tasked with preparing plans to “appropriately commemorate” the disaster in consultation with the families. Mr Harris met the families on Saturday and apologised to them in person.

In a recent video on TikTok, Harris said he had been "working intensively over the last few days" on Stardust. "I had a really important meeting with Stardust families on Saturday, I want to thank them for that. I found it to be extraordinarily useful, really important for me to listen to these families."