Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak to the motion. Once again, I extend my sympathy and condolences to the many relatives and extended families affected by the tragedy, some of whom I know personally. The tragedy had an extraordinary impact in the area represented by Deputies Terence Flanagan, Bruton, Haughey and Broughan. From the work Deputy Broughan did over many years, both as a councillor and latterly as a Deputy, I know how much this matter means to him because he lived among the communities directly affected. While the effect on the immediate community was enormous and while what happened is properly commemorated by the park of remembrance, the effect was also felt nationwide. I can still distinctly remember that morning 28 years ago when my two young children, then aged eight and nine years, came in early to my bedroom to say there had been a terrible tragedy. The poignancy of a disco going up in flames on St. Valentine's weekend was so cruel.

The title of the book, to which the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, referred so eloquently, They Never Came Home: The Stardust Story, represents every parents' nightmare. Every time children go out — whether they are aged three, five, 15, 20 or even 35 and 40 years — there is a part of every parent that never stops worrying and says, "Let's hope they come home." One can only imagine, but not feel and, certainly, not experience, the trauma the extended community of the families and friends of the 48 victims has gone through. For many, it is still a raw agony that will never heal. Some are present in the Visitors Gallery.

I acknowledge the work done by the former Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, and the presence of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Dermot Ahern. We are correcting officially the conclusions of a report by an inquiry established by a previous generation of Dáil Deputies. I have been a Member of the House for a long time — I recognise the Minister is a qualified lawyer — and I think I am right in saying there have been very few, if any, other cases in which this has been done. This has not come about lightly or with ease, but has come about because of the tenacity of people like Greg O'Neill, the solicitor, the people on the action committee and the sense of injustice of many people in our extended administrative system. The conclusion, however well-intended, of the chairperson of the original tribunal, and the opinion formed, without reference to tangible physical evidence, that this was an act of arson, was doubtful in the extreme to begin with, and highly hurtful to the participants in that event and to the children who went there.

I say by way of some kind of balm, if not comfort, that something significant has been achieved here tonight for those who were directly affected, and for every citizen of this Republic. Things that were deemed to have been incorrectly adjudicated upon, and a conclusion found in the light of subsequent events or upon reflection to be wrong — no matter how eminent the justice was who came to that conclusion — following Mr. Coffey's analysis of these matters, that justice has been deemed to have come to a wrong conclusion. Consequently, having reported that the conclusion of arson was wrong, the process of correction was initiated. This did not happen easily. It required people in the system to say the system had made a mistake, because a person appointed by the system came to a conclusion that was insupportable.

We are now correcting that mistake. This says two things. It says to the people directly affected, to the parents and the extended community, that it was not anybody's fault that night through any act of arson that this horrible tragedy occurred. We are also saying something else as a Republic. We are saying that sometimes when we get things wrong and when the system, collectively, gets things wrong, it is essential, as in private and personal life, to put our hands up and say "We got it wrong. We are sorry and will correct it." We do that so that the record, forever, for the grandchildren of the grandchildren of those related to those victims, will have it corrected that the original conclusions that cast a slur upon them and a black mark across an extended community have been removed.

For that alone, I thank all of those directly involved in this process, in particular the Minister and Minister of State here present, Deputies Dermot Ahern and Seán Haughey. Had a different Minister been in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, had different officials been in positions of responsibility throughout the system, we would not be passing this motion tonight. It takes courage, a certain strength of character and a degree of democratic empathy with other people to say a mistake has been made; let us correct it and let the record show it has been corrected. I am very pleased, as a Deputy, to be in the House tonight and to associate myself with this decision.

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