Stardust families to protest over pub opening

Relatives and friends of the 48 people who died in the Stardust fire tragedy in Dublin 25 years ago this week will hold a protest…

Relatives and friends of the 48 people who died in the Stardust fire tragedy in Dublin 25 years ago this week will hold a protest at a pub on the site today.

The group believes Mr Eamon Butterly (61), who owned the Stardust and who, along with his brother Colm (59), owns the Butterly Business Park where the night club was located, intends to reopen the Silver Swan pub, which has been closed for some months.

A tribunal of inquiry into the Stardust fire found Mr Butterly had acted with "reckless disregard" for the safety of the young people on the Stardust premises on the night of February 13 th1981.

Fire broke out in a cordoned-off area at around 1.30am on the morning of St Valentine's Day as young people, mostly from the northside of Dublin, enjoyed a dancing competition.

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The Silver Swan pub, which is located in the business park where the Stardust burnt down, was leased out by the group up to November 2005, when it was returned to the group by the former tenant.

Eamon Butterly applied for planning permission at the business park in an advertisement in the national newspapers this week on the anniversary of the fire, a move criticised by relatives of the 48 victims as insensitive.

The Department of Justice will examine an RTÉ  Prime Timeprogramme on the Stardust disaster broadcast this week.

A Government spokesman said following the programme that the Taoiseach would meet victims and victims' relatives to consider any new matters that had arisen. The Prime Time programme featured three fire experts who questioned the conclusions reached by the tribunal of inquiry into the disaster, particularly that the fire was probably started deliberately.

A statement issued on behalf of the families said today's protest would go on "for quite some time".