Stardust inquests: Witnesses tell of seeing ‘fire ball coming across the ceiling’

Witnesses at the Stardust inquests have given evidence about the last time they saw two of those who died in the blaze which killed 48 people in the early hours of February 14th, 1981.

Liam Hennessy, who was 31 at the time described unsuccessful attempts to bring David Flood (18), who had fallen asleep, out safely, while Noel Byrne, 21 at the time, said he had been with Brendan O’Meara (23) on the night but became separated from him.

They were among six witnesses who gave evidence of attending the nightclub, at Dublin Coroner’s Court on Thursday. Fresh inquests into the deaths the 48, aged 16 to 27 are under way following a 2019 direction by then attorney general Séamus Woulfe.

Mr Hennessy said he had been drinking in two pubs on the night of 13th February 1981 before going to the Stardust for an “after hours pint”. He had not known Mr Flood well and explained his own brother had been friends with Mr Flood’s brother.

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He was on his way back to his seat from the toilet when he saw a “fire ball coming across the ceiling”. People ran in “a stampede” to the main exit but he noticed others going towards a door at the back of tiered seating in the north alcove, which led to an exit known as exit 1. He saw Mr Flood asleep on a seat near the dance floor.

“I went down to wake up David Flood ... I shook him all over the place. I ran towards the exit and when I got to the top there I wasn’t sure I was after waking him up or not.”

He ran back down to Mr Flood who was still sleeping and “got him by the shoulders ... I had my arm on his shoulders trying to tell him come up this way.” He tried to drag him, he said, but saw what looked like fire at the exit.

“I let him go and ran towards the fire exit. When I got up near the top it all went black with smoke. I couldn’t see anything. There was nothing I could do,” said Mr Hennessy. “I was pushed through exit number one. When I got out I couldn’t get me breath so I stuck my finger down my throat, to clear the smoke. Then I looked up and saw the fire going through the roof.

“When I didn’t see Dave coming out the fire escape I went around the front to see if he was [there]. There was a commotion .. I was worried about Dave. I was standing there so long and then I couldn’t take it any more. I walked home then. I think I heard the fire brigade.”

Mr Byrne described being trapped in a cash office off the foyer as he and two others inside broke small window panes while people outside removed a safety bar and dragged him out.

“With the other two lads we started breaking these windows, trying to get out and let some air in .. People on the outside broke these two [larger] pieces of glass ... I could see lots of people on the outside trying to help us to get out and fellas were standing on the window sill and they kicked the metal stops away.

“I then crawled through to the outside and people helped me down. Seconds before I got out the cash office caught fire and there was a lot of flame,” the inquests heard.

Sean Guerin, SC for the families of nine of the dead including that of Brendan O’Meara (23) who died in hospital of burn-related injuries on 25th February 1981, asked the witness what he knew of Mr O’Meara’s last movements.

He last saw him at the back of the north alcove with friends. He understood “Brendan had got out but had gone back in to bring out people, to help them out,” he said. “Unfortunately he went in one time too much and he never got out,” he said.

Peter Redmond, 18 at the time, giving evidence remotely described chaotic scenes in the main hallway as people tried to exit, after the lights failed.

“There was people lying on the floor around by the front who never actually made it to the front to get out. They were so close but they just couldn’t see it was so dark ... Then the doors were opened and people just piled out.”

Once out he was looking for his sister’s daughter but he was not allowed back in. He said he remained for about 20 minutes he thought as he was “struggling to breathe” and he was looking for friends and his niece. “There were people lying on the ground.” Emergency services arrived within “about ten minutes” he thought.

Kathleen Deeney, 21 at the time, was dancing when a friend interrupted to point out the fire.

There was panic she said and she was “pushed along” the foyer towards the main exit. There were “three or four people on top of each other on the floor. There was no movement from them. There were people climbing over them and I did the same.”

She found herself in the small cloakroom off the entrance hall. The area filled with “dirty-looking” smoke, she said. “I saw a fellah jumping out over a counter into the hallway ... Some fellah pulled me over. My hair was singed from the heat. I held on to this fellah and my mind went blank.”