Stardust survivor issues public plea after photo goes missing from vigil

"We are really upset that someone took our sister Mary’s photo, we are asking the person who took it to kindly please return it to us."

Antoinette Keegan, who survived the Stardust tragedy that claimed 48 lives, has appealed for the return of her sister's photo, which disappeared from a vigil last week. Ms Keegan, who lost her sisters Martina and Mary in the fire, told Dublin Live that as the photo has not been returned, her cousin Ronan, who took care of the photographs for the event, will replace them. The image showed her sister Mary, who was 19-years-old at the time of the tragedy. The past week, she has been appealing for the photo's return on social media. In a post on Facebook, she wrote: "Last Saturday 11th February a candlelight vigil took place for the 42nd anniversary of the Stardust Disaster, this took place on the site of the Stardust. We are really upset that someone took our sister Mary’s photo, we are asking the person who took it to kindly please return it to us please." The fatal fire took place in the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin on 14 February 1981. As well as the 48 fatalities, 214 people were injured. An inquest into the tragedy will take place in April. Earlier this month, Dublin City Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane refused an attempt made by Stardust's former manager Eamom Butterly to exclude unlawful killing as a potential verdict in an upcoming inquest into the tragedy. According to The Independent, Mr Butterly's legal team argued that if the jury reached the verdict of an unlawful killing, he could face allegations of civil or criminal liability. Countering this, Dr Cullinane said: "It is not appropriate for a coroner to rule out any verdict, on the grounds that it is not possible to know definitively what evidence may be called or what findings may be made on foot of that evidence. "It is only after this evidence has been heard that an inquest…will ‘make findings’ and consider the appropriate verdicts arising from the evidence that has been heard." Photo via Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Related links:

• Charlie Bird to sue voice bank for the first time in public for Stardust vigil
• 40 years on the families of the Stardust victims are still seeking justice