The 48 young people who died in the Stardust nightclub disaster in Dublin in 1981 were unlawfully killed, an inquest jury has found.
The devastating blaze at the venue in Artane, north Dublin, broke out in the early hours of 14 February 1981.
Proceedings in the inquest, directed by Ireland’s attorney general, began a year ago, making it the longest inquest in Irish history.
Some relatives of those killed jumped to their feet and clapped at the verdict, while some sat in their seats and cried. Others embraced each other when “unlawful killing” was said by the foreman of the jury at Dublin district coroner’s court.
On Wednesday, the foreman told the coroner, Dr Myra Cullinane, that the jury’s seven women and five men could not reach a unanimous verdict. The coroner then said she would accept a simple majority of seven and allowed the deliberations to continue.
Fifteen minutes later, the jury returned and confirmed it had reached a majority verdict.
The announcement was deferred to Thursday to allow interested individuals and family members to make arrangements to attend court or watch online.
Five verdicts were available: accidental, misadventure, unlawful killing, open verdict and narrative.
More details soon …