The jury at the Stardust inquests into the 48 people who died in the 1981 fire has been urged to return verdicts of unlawful killing.
The proceedings, which have been running for almost a year, have now entered its final stages with the closing submissions heard today.
Counsel Des Fahy, representing relatives of the dead, said every second spent in the fire was literally a matter of life and death.
He told the jury that the exit doors that should have been their salvation were either locked, chained or obstructed.
No doorman or any other member of staff had given evidence that they saw the doors unlocked, that they unlocked the doors themselves, or that they saw any other member of staff unlocking the doors, Mr Fahy said.
The 48 victims lost their dignity because of the cruel and inhumane way in which they died, he added.
Referring to a verdict of unlawful killing, he told the jury: “You can now start that process of giving them their dignity back.”
Earlier, Counsel Michael O’Higgins began his address by saying it had been “a long road” and paid tribute to the “indomitable spirit” of the women who had campaigned for these fresh inquests.
Mr O’Higgins also invited the jury to return a verdict of unlawful killing and said many of the 48 victims were burned beyond recognition.
He told the members of the jury that they would have to look at what happened in the Stardust, look at the evidence, and apply a “test” as to whether there had been failures.
He said if those failures amounted to substantial cause of death, then the jury was entitled “to bring in a verdict of unlawful killing”.
He also referred to the former manager of the club, Eamon Butterly, who was in the witness box last September.
Referring to his evidence around the locking of doors, Mr O’Higgins said Mr Butterly’s credibility “is shredded beyond redemption”.
Inquests a ‘fact-finding’ exercise – Coroner
At the start of today’s proceedings, the coroner Dr Myra Cullinane said the inquests were a fact-finding exercise and not about apportioning blame.
She told the members of the jury they should keep that in mind at all times.
It is expected that the closing submissions will continue for some days with a number of interested parties due to address the jury.
After they are concluded, Dr Cullinane will charge the jury who will then deliberate on a verdict.
In all, they have heard from 190 witnesses in person and written statements from another 183.
These fresh inquests began last April after a lengthy campaign by relatives.
In 2019, the then-attorney general Seamus Woulfe, directed they be held, saying there had been an insufficiency of inquiry at the original 1982 inquests into how the deaths occurred.
A number of families of the victims were in the Dublin District Court, which is sitting in the Pillar Room on the grounds of the Rotunda Hospital.
Forty-eight young people lost their lives in the fire which broke out in the early hours of St Valentine’s Day at the Artane nightclub 43 years ago.
Most of the victims were from the surrounding area.
