Four of the six exits at the Stardust nightclub were locked on the night in 1981 when it was engulfed by flames killing 48 young people, a patron who tried to sneak in without a ticket has said.
James Feery, 30 years old at the time, gave evidence at Dublin Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, corroborating testimony from Noel Quigley, a former bouncer in the north Dublin venue, which was heard on November 29th.
Mr Feery also provided information on the last movements of Murtagh “Murty” Kavanagh (27) and his girlfriend Margaret Thornton (19), who perished.
Appearing on day 93 of fresh inquests into the deaths of 48 people aged 16 to 27 in a fire in the early hours of February 14th, 1981, Mr Feery said he had not wanted to go into the Stardust as the queue was long and he had no tie, which would be a problem at the door.
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His friend Mr Quigley had worked as a doorman up to six weeks previously, however, and said he could get him in via a side door. He told him to wait at exit three, which he did for about 10 to 15 minutes. “Then Noel Quigley came over to me and said he had tried to open the door at exit number three but that it was locked. He said there was a chain on it, and also on the doors...at exits four, five and six. He said there was stuff packed against one of these.” Mr Quigley instead got him an entrance ticket and they went in.
He continued: “When we went in myself and Noel Quigley spent about half an hour talking about the exit doors being locked...He told me that when he was working there he used to be under instructions to leave the doors unlocked.”
Mr Quigley, in his 1981 statements read into the court record on November 29th, said he had tried to open four of the six exits but they had been chained and locked, and one also had furniture blocking it.
Des Fahy KC, representing families of nine of those who perished, said Mr Feery’s evidence corroborated this. “There was either furniture obstructing [the exits] or chains?” he asked.
“There was furniture. There was tables and chairs stacked up against some of the doors,” said Mr Feery.
“He wasn’t able to let you in through any of those exits. Isn’t that right?” asked Mr Fahy.
“That’s right, yeah.”
“So your evidence...you effectively support and corroborate Mr Quigley’s statement that you couldn’t get in?”
“He’s right there,” said the witness.
At about 1.30am Mr Quigley said he was leaving, said the witness. He went to the toilet and when returning to his table in the north alcove he heard the DJ announce there was a small fire and advising people not to panic. He looked over at the west alcove area and saw a bouncer pull a partition up.
“The fire just shot out, caught the ceiling, and the whole shot right across like a flame-thrower...I headed for the main entrance. There was panic all over the place...Everyone was getting jammed in the hall. The main doors were locked,” Mr Feery told the court.
People were trying to break small glass panels in the front door “to get some air in” as the foyer filled with “thick smoke”.
He got almost to the front door. “I was holding on to the stairway. I was trying to breathe through a cardigan I was wearing. I was getting sort of pushed...I was sort of passing out at this stage, I couldn’t breathe, and just as I was passing out the doors seemed to burst open...I got pushed with the rest just out the door...I thought I was dying.”
When he got out he said he was “getting sick black”.
He had not known Mr Kavanagh who was more Mr Quigley’s friend, and he had not met Ms Thornton before. “They were sitting directly behind us [in the north alcove],” he said. “She was there with him at the time I was trying to escape.”
The inquests heard testimony from a number of unavailable witnesses who referred in their statements to some of those who perished, including George (18), Willy (22) and Marcella (16) McDermott; Paula Lewis (19); Julie McDonnell (20); Teresa McDonnell (16); Michael Farrell (26); Thelma Frazer (20); David Morton (19) and George O’Connor (17).
The inquests continue.
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