This week on The Hard Shoulder, we broadcast a special feature focusing on the 40th anniversary of Stardust.
48 people died and 214 were injured in the blaze that took hold at the disco, soon after a dance competition had taken place. There were more than 800 young people there, mostly from the Coolock and Artane areas of Dublin.
The aftermath was devastating. Parents lost their sons and daughters, some families lost two or even three children. Couples, cousins, friends, neighbours...an entire generation in the community was impacted.
Kieran Cuddihy went to Artane to the site of the fire and met three families:
- Antoinette Keegan who was at the disco with her two sisters, Mary and Martina - both of whom died.
- Lorraine and Suzanne, the two younger Keegan sisters who vividly remember the events of that night.
- Maurice and Phillis McHugh who lost their only child, Caroline.
- And Samantha Mangan, who was just four years old when her mother Helena died in the fire that night.
In this special extended feature, you'll hear local voices from the area, remembering the losses and lamenting the fact that still to this day, there are no answers for what happened that night.
