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AFTER THE HEADLINES – CHARLIE BIRD

Charlie Bird 4 Image Name: Charlie Bird 4

Veteran journalist Charlie Bird returns to some of the biggest news stories in Ireland and, meeting those at the heart of each case, explores what happened after the cameras stopped rolling and the media spotlight moved on.

Episode 2 – Stardust

Valentine’s night 1981, and the Stardust nightclub was in full swing when at around 1.40 am a fire suddenly broke out. Within minutes the building was engulfed in flames and what had started as an evening of fun and romance turned into one of the worst tragedies this country has ever known. 214 people were injured, 128 of them seriously and 48 young people lost their lives. Most of the victims came from just a few areas of north Dublin and the communities of Artane, Kilmore and Coolock were changed forever. Charlie Bird was a young reporter at the time and was sent to the scene that night. What he saw there and in the days and weeks that followed have stayed with him ever since. He now goes back to meet some of the survivors and families of the victims. All these years later many are still grieving and still fighting for justice and answers they feel they never received.