Prominent solicitor Darragh Mackin calls on Isle of Man to open new inquest into Summerland fire

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A campaign to overturn the inquest verdicts of those who died in the Summerland disaster has taken a step forward after a leading solicitor said the Isle of Man Government “must take action”.

The Justice For Summerland Campaign Group says it will now formally apply to the island’s Attorney General for a fresh inquest into the tragedy.

The fire at the Summerland holiday complex in 1973 killed 50 people, among them were eleven children. 

In the years that have passed, the campaign say nobody has ever been held accountable. 

However, the group now has the backing of Darragh Mackin, one of the solicitors involved in overturning the inquest verdict in the landmark Stardust Fire Case in Dublin in May.

Mr Mackin has already written to the island’s Attorney General informing him of the Summerland campaign’s intentions, and the hope to overturn the ‘death by misadventure’ verdict placed on all 50 victims of the tragedy.

The Northern Irish solicitor, who works for Phoenix Law, described the inquest findings as “exceptionally concerning”.

He said: “In an almost identical set of circumstances with the Stardust fire, a fresh inquest, we say, can, through the right mechanism, call witnesses, hear expert evidence, and establish the truth.

“My initial reaction when I understood the original verdict of misadventure was one of utmost concern,” Mr Mackin said. 

“When you look closer and you look under the bonnet as to how that verdict was achieved, it’s exceptionally concerning.”

Mr Mackin is taking on the Summerland case after successfully overturning the verdicts of all 48 people who died at the Stardust nightclub fire.

In 1981, a fire ripped through a nightclub in Artane, north Dublin in the largest ever disaster in the history of the Irish state.

An initial inquiry into the Stardust tragedy found that ‘arson’ was the likely cause of the fire, but this was later quashed, kickstarting a campaign for justice as fresh inquests were ordered.

This led to a new inquest opening on 25 April 2023, where a jury heard how many fire exits were locked, chained or obstructed – mirroring various eyewitness accounts at Summerland.

The campaign, backed by Mr Mackin, ended with conclusive verdicts of ‘unlawful killing’ – successfully overturning the original inquest verdict after 40 years.

Heather Lea lost both her parents, Richard and Elizabeth Cheetham, and her 13-year-old sister June in the Summerland fire.

She said having the services of a lawyer with Mr Mackin’s stature and experience had given the campaign a huge boost.

“It’s an amazing feat for us to get him, it’s brilliant,” she said, adding that the constitutional arrangements of the Isle of Man mean they may have an uphill battle to convince the government in Douglas to reopen the Summerland case.

“They’ve brushed it under the carpet for 50 years, and with Darragh being involved I’m hoping now they’ll stand up, listen and say ‘this is an injustice, and we’ve got to put it right,” she said.

Heather’s husband Reg added: “We’ve got a powerful voice now, it’s not just individual people or groups of people, it’s somebody who is a prominent international lawyer who can make things happen.

“How long it will take I don’t know, but I’m more optimistic than I was before.

“I think we might get the verdict overturned, but we’ve got a long way to go yet”.

A spokesperson from the Attorney General’s Chambers confirmed they had received the letter from Mr Mackin, and released a statement which reads:

“The Attorney General can confirm a letter was received yesterday from Mr Mackin. 

“Consideration is currently being given to its contents and a response will be delivered in due course.”

It comes after the Chief Minister apologised for the ‘pain, harm and failings’ of the disaster, during a sitting of Tynwald in July 2023.

This was followed by a national service of remembrance for the 50th anniversary in August.

While Mr Mackin recognised the Chief Minister had ‘acknowledged the wrongdoing’, he said ‘it doesn’t go anywhere near to resolving the problem’.

Comparing Stardust with Summerland, Mr Mackin said: “The reality is both have been riddled with failed investigations, in my view.

“And secondly, both have at the epicentre a previous finding that indeed almost puts blame on the very victims who went there. 

“The verdict in this Summerland of ‘misadventure’ attaches with the absence of any blame or responsibility, and the absence of any culpability for any other person.

“That, many of the families believe, is an insult to them and an insult to their loved ones.

“It’s for those reasons that they’re almost identical in that both sides of families have, in essence, been campaigning for four decades for an effective investigation in both scenarios. 

“And like we’ve seen with the Stardust, even despite the passage of time with an effective investigation, the truth can be established.”