The inquests into the deaths of 48 people in the 1981 Stardust disaster have been hearing more evidence of how the victims died and how their remains were formally identified.
The court heard that 18-year-old Michael Griffiths’ remains were identified by his father from the jewellery he had been wearing, including a chain with ‘Mick’ engraved on it.
The inquests heard how Mr Griffiths had gone to the Stardust that night with friends and was last seen alive dancing on the dancefloor close to the stage and exit five.
The jury was told that dense soot was found in the teenager’s airways, which indicated he had inhaled quantities of contaminated air.
Des Fahy, KC, representing the Griffiths’ family said Michael has been missed “every day since the fire”.
His cause of death was given as rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat.
The court also heard that the remains of 20-year-old Robert Hillick were formally identified in the Dublin city morgue two days after the fire by his brother who recognised Robert’s watch.
Mr Hillick had gone to the Stardust that night with his friend, James Millar who also died in the fire. Their exact location in the club when the fire first became visible is unrecorded.
Forensic consultant pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd agreed with Simon Mills, SC, for the inquests, that there was significant evidence of exposure of the body to heat and that it was difficult to be certain whether particular burning happened either before or after death.
The court heard how the 20-year-old had inhaled “significant” quantities of toxic materials and there was evidence of thick soot in his airways.
The inquests were told how Mr Hillick was originally from Belfast and had moved to Dublin to work on the building sites.
Paula Lewis was 19 when she was died in the fire. The court heard today that her remains were identified by her uncle from her clothing and jewellery.
She was last seen alive as she made her way towards exit five. She had been holding hands with her friend before they became separated and “lost each other”.
Ms Lewis had been in the Stardust that night with Sandra Lawless, who also lost her life in the blaze.
Des Fahy, KC, representing the Lewis family, said there had been a “succession of civilian witnesses” who have given evidence of their inability to leave through exit five and who described the panic around the doors.
He also said that Ms Lewis had just turned 19 and said the grief visited upon the family was horrendous.
Ms Lewis’ death was given as rapid incapacitation due to inhalation of fire fumes and heat.
The inquests heard that the remains of 18-year-old Eamonn Loughman were only confirmed from DNA testing, decades after the fire, in 2007.
He was last seen alive, after the fire became visible, as he ran across the tables towards exit five.
Brenda Campbell, KC, representing the Loughman family, said a reasonable inference was that he got very close to exit five before succumbing to the fumes.
She also said that Mr Loughman was the eldest of seven children and that he was the third child his parents had lost.
The inquests heard the level of carbon monoxide found in his blood showed he inhaled a “significant” amount of the gas and that he would have lost consciousness “rapidly”.
His cause of death was given as inhalation of fire fumes.
