The families of the 48 victims of the Stardust fire tragedy in 1981 have vowed to continue to fight as they hope to bring forward the date for a new inquest.
It was ruled earlier today that the inquests will not begin until April 2023 due to the amount of time it will take to pick a jury. But survivor Antoinette Keegan, who lost her sisters Martina and Mary in the blaze, said that at the next pre-inquest hearing on December 15 they will work to "convince" the coroner to bring the inquest forward to February or March.
It has been eight months since the initial judicial review and the High Court has ruled that "unlawful killing" can be considered as a potential verdict. This follows legal action by former Stardust manager Eamon Butterly.
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Speaking to Dublin Live at the Pillar Room in the Rotunda after the verdict, Antoinette said: "We're working now on the next pre-hearing for the middle of December. We're working to convince them in December to bring it forward to February or March."
Before the hearing Antoinette said the families now feel that they're on the road to "getting truth and justice". She was joined by former RTE journalist Charlie Bird who reported on the tragedy from the day it happened almost 42 years ago.
She said: "We're hopeful now that the coroner will be able to give us a start date. We've waited very, very patiently. It's almost eight months now since the judicial review happened. Finally we feel like we're on a road now to getting truth and justice."
"It's great comfort [having Charlie there]. Charlie has been a huge support to us all over the years, every step of the way. He was a great journalist and he always stood by us and we really, really thank Charlie so much from the bottom of our hearts. We'd be lost without Charlie and Christy Moore.
"I feel very confident, very positive that it is onwards and upwards now for the families and it's near time. They've waited 41 years, almost 42 years to get the truth and justice of what happened to their loved ones. So the fight goes on until the whole lot is over and we get truth and justice for the 48 victims that perished on the 14th of February 1981."
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