Darragh Mackin

Eamonn Butterly sought an order preventing the jury in the new inquests from considering the verdict. However, Mr Justice Charles Meenan today rejected his application.

The attorney general agreed in 2019 to fresh inquests into the deaths following an application from the families of the victims.

A tribunal of inquiry in 1981, chaired by former chief justice Ronan Keane, controversially found that the cause of the devastating fire was “probable arson”, essentially exonerating the club’s owners from legal responsibility.

There have been various calls for the investigation to be re-opened due to apparent contradictions between the tribunal’s findings and the testimony of some witnesses.

Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law, who acts for the families of 47 of the 48 victims, said: “The families we act for are relieved with today’s news and are hopeful that the Stardust fire inquests can now proceed as planned.

“The significance of a potential verdict of unlawful killing cannot be overstated for these families. They have from the outset maintained that such a verdict ought to be considered by a jury.

“Today’s decision not to exclude such a verdict is of a massive importance. To have the backing of the High Court that these inquests should proceed with a full and fair investigation and for all verdicts to be on the table, as is normally the case, is a meaningful endorsement of the families’ pursuit of truth and justice in the Stardust fire inquests.”