I last wrote about this horrific tragedy in 2019, noting that a fresh inquest was to be held. And at last, a full 42 years after the event, this is under way. It is only under way due to the persistence of the families who were affected. Left to their own devices the Irish Government would long ago have forgotten about the manifestly wrong outcomes of two previous enquiries.

Now it seems the families of the 48 children killed that night (not forgetting the many more badly injured) are getting some sort of closure.

The first few weeks have been given over to the families who have, in turn, addressed the inquest. Their memories of their children are beautiful, the events and aftermath of the evening of 14th February 1981 haunting and unrelenting to this day. “How can you ever wake up from a nightmare like this?” says one.

And perhaps one sister spoke for all. “Marie has been lost in the smoke and devastation of the Stardust for too long. The decades-long fight for answers has taken far too much from us already. So today we are taking her back and remembering her life. We are reclaiming her from the darkness and despair and bringing her back into the sunlight where she belongs.”

All that they now ask for are the full facts and an honest verdict. Any charges to follow on from the inquest now seem relatively pointless.