Stardust survivor recalls holding hands with sisters before they were killed

While Ms Keegan was pulled out of the blazing venue, her sisters Mary (19) and Martina (16) died in the fire. Their brother John had been refused at the door.

Many of the friends they attended the north Dublin disco with that night also perished, including Mary Kenny (19), Paula Byrne (19), Michael Ffrench (19), Michael Griffiths (17) and Sandra Lawless (18). David Morton (19), boyfriend of Mary Keegan, also died.

Ms Keegan, who said she sustained severe injuries on the night and subsequently suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, described a sense of excitement in the build up to February 13, 1981, for the final of a disco dancing competition in the popular Stardust club.

She said she initially saw a “small fire” in the club just after the disco dancing competition ended and recalled thinking it looked “controllable”. Within just a few minutes, it had gotten “substantially worse” and was quickly spreading through the venue.

Ms Keegan, who broke down while giving evidence at one point, described people “panicking” at one of the emergency exits, dubbed exit five, because the doors were locked and they couldn’t open them. 

She said she and her companions made for exit four instead before they fell to the ground and were trampled upon in the "pandemonium" of people trying to get out. 

"I remember a ball of flame coming towards us," she said. "The heat was so hot. And the thick black smoke. I couldn’t breathe. I thought 'that’s it we’re dead'."

She said she held hands with Martina, who held the hand of Mary. "We said we’d hold each others hands as we’d all get out together," she said. The jury heard that a “cluster” of bodies was found in the area described by Ms Keegan.

Ms Keegan said she lost consciousness and was pulled outside by a man named Thomas Larkin. She was treated for her injuries in hospital for a number of weeks, and wasn’t initially told about the deaths of her sisters.

“I felt so guilty I got out and they were killed,” she said. “I never realised it’d be the last time together. I felt so guilty I never said goodbye.” 

Testimony from Joseph Brown

Further emotional evidence came from Joseph Brown, who described being at the Stardust with his best friend Robert Kelly (17), nicknamed Spiky.

He last saw Robert on the dancefloor with Marie Kennedy (17) about five or 10 minutes before it all “kicked off”, and then Robert went to the toilet. Both died in the fire.

“We all went together, we were a group that did everything together,” Mr Brown said. "The Stardust was a place where you could get a drink and the lads could have a bit of freedom. We thought we were big men,” he said.

The inquests continue.