Stardust

Apr 18 2024 8 ep. 30 mins 286
Stardust Podcast artwork

Stardust is a six-part series from The Journal that delves into one of the worst tragedies in the history of the Irish State. At a Valentine's disco in 1981, 48 young people died and more than 200 people were injured after a fire in Dublin's Stardust nightclub. With the families left still fighting for justice almost four decades on, we ask how did Ireland get it so wrong the first time around? Stardust is presented by Sean Murray, produced by Nicky Ryan with executive producer Christine Bohan.

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Episode 7: Unlawful killing

Apr 18 2024 27 mins  
More than four years after the final episode in our series, producers Christine Bohan and Nicky Ryan unpack today's momentous ruling: new inquests returned a verdict of unlawful killing for all 48 deaths in the Stardust fire. The jury also, crucially, determined where the fire started.

Episode 6: They want it to go away, but it won’t

Nov 13 2019 45 mins  
Over the years, it seemed as though the Stardust fire slipped from the public's mind. The families and survivors never gave up, but at times it felt like their campaign was going no where - all that changed in September 2019.

Episode 5: Money won't bring my brother back

Nov 06 2019 37 mins  
The State promised a swift response in the wake of the Stardust fire. Within weeks, a tribunal was set up to investigate. However between the tribunal's findings and the 'take it or leave it' offer of compensation, this was just the beginning, rather than the end, of a battle for the families.

Episode 4: There's been a phone call from Dublin

Oct 30 2019 45 mins  
By the time dawn broke on Valentine's Day 1981, the fire at the Stardust disco had been brought under control. For families and friends of people who had been at the disco, however, things were chaotic. It was hard to find what hospitals victims were at, how badly they were hurt, whether they were alive or dead. The massive scale of the disaster was becoming clear.

Episode 3: And then everything went black

Oct 23 2019 35 mins  
Most people didn't even notice the fire at first. They kept dancing. But soon, smoke began to engulf the ballroom, and panic spread. The first thought on most people's minds were: 'Where are my friends, and how are we going to get out of here?'.

Episode 2: A freezing cold Friday the 13th

Oct 16 2019 28 mins  
Excitement had been building for the final of the Stardust's dancing competition at the Valentine's disco. No-one going that evening knew how their night would end - or anything about questions raised previously about the club's safety record.

Episode 1: The biggest show on the northside

Oct 09 2019 22 mins  
Dublin in 1981 was a very different place compared with today- and the Stardust nightclub in Artane was the place to go, especially for a generation growing up at a time when the best chance of a decent job lay abroad.

An introduction to Stardust

Sep 27 2019 2 mins  
Stardust is a new original podcast series from TheJournal.ie. Speaking to witness, family members, journalists and more, it delves into one of the worst tragedies in Ireland's history where 48 young people died in a nightclub fire. Coming soon...