Stardust Inquests – Pen Portraits Day 2

Today we heard the Pen Portraits of Jimmy Buckley, Paula Byrne & Caroline Carey

Buckley, Jimmy – Christina Smyth

It is never easy to capture a loved one’s personality with just words. All I can say is, everyone who met him and knew him loved him. He was funny and witty and the life and soul of every party. Everyone loved his company.

Jimmy just loved performing for people and actually won a talent contest for his impression of Elvis- he was so delighted with himself.

His big passion when I met him was hurling and I would go along to see him play.

He was a very good player who was not afraid of anyone coming at him on the field.

He was fierce and brave in play. He also had a great passion for Gaelic football and he played in the minors. He loved to go to Croke Park on a Sunday to watch the Dubs play.

I met this wonderful man when we were teenagers. He was 16 and I was 14. It was love at first sight and we got engaged when I turned 16.

I had the honour to marry Jimmy in 1979 and we were so happy. Every day was a laugh living with him. It was never boring with his jokes and pranks. We were blessed to welcome our beautiful daughter Julieann on 13th February 1980. That is a day I will never forget, as he was so proud and showing her off to everyone and telling all that she was going to be the image of him with blue eyes and blonde hair.

He was correct. She has grown up to be like him. She is witty and funny and loving, and a fantastic parent just like he was.

On Julieann’s first birthday Jimmy of course wanted a big tea party for her to show her off and have everyone come to the house to celebrate. We did just that. All our relations and friends crammed into the little house in Donnycarney. It was a day we will always remember as it was the last time we would all spend together.

When everyone left, Jimmy’s two brothers Albert and Errol who lived with us at the

time were full of excitement as Erroll had made it to the final of the dance competition in the Stardust. They wanted us to go but we had no babysitter, so the two boys went off to the Stardust full of excitement.

Jimmy’s other brother Pat called in to see us and offered to babysit, so we got ready and decided to surprise the boys and turn up. I never would have thought this was the last time we would be together or that this would be the night that would change all our lives together.

Buckley, Jimmy – Errol Buckley

My name is Errol Buckley. Jimmy Buckley was my brother. Jimmy was more than a brother to me. After my father died when I was 12, my mother moved back home to Offaly and I, not wanting to leave the only home I knew in Dublin, stayed. Jimmy took on my parents’ role.

Jimmy would get me to school, bring me to all my matches and after I left school we even worked together in Scotts Foods.

Jimmy was not only a caring and loving brother, he was a very talented singer and entertainer. He even won a talent show in the Stardust a few months before the fire.

On Friday 13th of February 1981, Jimmy’s daughter Julieann celebrated her first birthday. After having a tea party for her, Jimmy came with me along with my other brother Albert and Jimmy’s wife Christine to support me, as I was dancing in the Valentine’s disco competition in the Stardust.

The competition started at around midnight and then they announced the two winners, one boy, one girl. Jimmy beamed with pride when my name was called out.

As I stood on the stage, he jumped up on to it and hugged me and told me how proud he was of me. Little did I know, they would be the last words I would ever hear from him.

Outside the Stardust I was running around for about an hour looking for Albert, Jimmy and Christine. Eventually, I found Albert. We were asking everyone had they seen Jimmy. A few people had said they had seen him and he was gone back in looking for me. After a few hours we gave up, thinking he must have been taken off injured and was probably in one of the hospitals.

Later that morning, the rest of my brothers and sisters met in our house and we split up to go looking in all the hospitals. By Saturday evening we still hadn’t found Jimmy.

The next few days were a nightmare, not knowing where he was. Then the Guards called to the house and asked us to come to the morgue. Jimmy was eventually identified by his wedding ring.

The days that followed were a haze. Attending the funeral, after the funeral.

Guilt was eating away at me. if I hadn’t been dancing that night, Jimmy wouldn’t have been there.

Jimmy would never get to see his beautiful daughter grow up. It all got too much for me, and I ran away to England and later on to America. But the nightmares I suffered with stayed with me, no matter where I went.

Albert and my mam campaigned for justice up until their deaths; Albert dying from a massive heart attack at the age of 41. The Stardust had claimed another victim as I believe Albert too never really recovered from that horrific night and the loss of Jimmy. The stress he felt trying to get justice for Jimmy and the other 47 victims weighed heavily on him. He died never getting it, like so many others.

You might say, it’s been 40 years, just let it go. Well I ask you, if it was your brother, sister, son, daughter, how would you feel?

In loving memory of my father figure, brother, my hero: Jimmy Buckley.

Byrne, Paula – Brothers and Sister

We are brothers and sister to Paula.

We were a family of eight children. A girl and three boys, then followed by a gap of many years which was followed by another girl and three boys. We were referred to by our Mam as “the big four” and “the little four”.

The reader is Maria Byrne, sister to Paula.

With a daughter and three sons in the family. Mam was expecting her fifth child and suspected it would be another boy, she chose the name Paul. We all knew she was really hoping for a girl. However, on the arrival of a baby girl Mam decided there would be no name change and called our new sister Paula.

Paula’s position in our family was right in the middle. She was the youngest of her older sister and three brothers and the eldest to her three younger brothers. Whether it was her middle place in the family or just simply Paula herself, she was always the peacemaker in our house. Going to bed on an argument was not in her nature.

Paula was very much a people person. She loved her friends and family and was loyal and devoted to both. She was a beautiful young lady both inside and out and was a true friend for life.

Paula was a beautiful young girl with her whole wonderful life ahead of her. She loved dancing, music, and had a great eye for fashion. She was gifted with a passion for drawing many of her schoolbooks would be full of doodles and sketches. One of her many drawings still hangs proudly in our home today.

To sum up Paula’s nature and personality in one word it would most definitely be “Kindness”. Paula had such a good heart she was a shining light. Always willing to do anything for you. In many ways Paula took after our Mam. Our Mam would share anything with anyone. Unfortunately for us Paula took sharing to a level beyond our Mam’s. Paula would also share our stuff with others. You would go looking for something and find an IOU or a little thank you note, this meaning you might get it back.

From a young age Paula was eager to be an adult. She had her dreams, ambitions, and aspirations for what she would do in life.

Paula was only 19. The last time we spoke with her on that Friday evening. She had just gotten ready to go to the dancing competition in the Stardust. Paula was in the kitchen standing between the kitchen table and the heater. We chatted for a while and as we left with our Mam to do the weekly shopping our last words to Paula were “Goodbye, have a good night in the Stardust, enjoy the dancing”.

Later that evening little did we know that the distant sound of sirens would be the start of a nightmare that we could not awaken from. The sound of the sirens and the knock on the door in the early hours of the morning, the words “Is Paula home, there is a fire” were the start of our fears. We rushed to the Stardust hoping to find Paula safe and well and bring her home. The devastating vision of the Stardust and the apprehension of what was unfolding in front of us was terrifying.

We could not find Paula at the Stardust.

Up until dawn, we travelled around the hospitals hoping to find her in one of the casualty departments. The radio, television and newspapers were broadcasting the horrifying reality of what had happened.

We arrived back home without Paula.

We held on to the hope that Paula would arrive home safely, having stayed in a friend’s house. It was not until the following Wednesday in the city mortuary that our last shred of hope for Paula abruptly faded away. The realisation that our sister Paula who was only 19, having simply gone out on a Friday evening to enjoy a night of dancing, had lost her beautiful young life in the Stardust fire.

The loss of Paula and the impact on our family is impossible to quantify. When you witness the spark of life going out of your mother, you hope in time that it will return. It never did.

The horrifying night of the Stardust is something no one should ever have to experience. Our thoughts go back to that night. To the people involved with the emergency response, the fire brigade, ambulance, Garda, doctors, nurses, hospital staff and volunteers. Thank you for your courageous dedication.

We welcome the attorney general’s ethical and brave decision in the granting of this fresh inquest. That justice will prevail. The dreadful events of what happened in the Stardust that caused such devastation, pain and agony to our family and so many others will finally be uncovered.

For all parties involved in this inquest we wish you Godspeed on your journey with the responsibility that is entrusted to you. For our family nothing can bring Paula back, nothing can erase the loss and pain of the last 40 years. Preventing another Stardust, knowing that no other family would never have to endure the same trauma would be the greatest gift.

Carey, Caroline – Maria Carey

Caroline Mary Angela Carey was born at home in Dublin on the 24th of May 1963 to Joe and Frances Carey, she was one of seven children.

Caroline was a middle child with a brother Anthony and two sisters Maria and Ann older than her and two brothers, Damien and Paul, and a sister, Lorraine younger than her. Caroline was a much-loved daughter, sister, auntie, niece, granddaughter and cousin.

As a younger child, Caroline was a member of the parish junior choir which she attended regularly with my sister Ann and enjoyed many trips away with the choir.

Caroline left Kings Inn Street school after her Inter Cert, now known as Junior Cert, and went on to complete a secretarial course. She sat an exam for a position with Dublin Corporation, now known as Dublin City Council and came second in Dublin, which made our parents very proud. She was offered a job as a clerical officer, which she accepted. She worked in the Dangerous Buildings section, she settled in well and was very happy in her new position.

Caroline was a middle child with a brother Anthony and two sisters Maria and Ann older than her and two brothers, Damien and Paul, and a sister, Lorraine younger than her. Caroline was a much-loved daughter, sister, auntie, niece, granddaughter and cousin.

As a younger child, Caroline was a member of the parish junior choir which she attended regularly with my sister Ann and enjoyed many trips away with the choir.

Caroline left Kings Inn Street school after her Inter Cert, now known as Junior Cert, and went on to complete a secretarial course. She sat an exam for a position with Dublin Corporation, now known as Dublin City Council and came second in Dublin, which made our parents very proud. She was offered a job as a clerical officer, which she accepted. She worked in the Dangerous Buildings section, she settled in well and was very happy in her new position.

I recently asked one of my brothers what his memories of Caroline was. Laughing, he replied, she burned my uniform shirt and probably charged him for the service in advance and I doubt she gave him a refund.

Caroline was a very talented Irish dancer and competed successfully in many competitions. She also travelled abroad to dance at festivals with her dance school.

She gave up Irish dancing and took up disco dancing.

The Stardust was a very popular venue and Caroline went every weekend and sometimes twice over the weekend. She left with a group of friends, all dressed up and looking forward to their night out.

She came into the room where me and Mam were sitting, did a little twirl and asked us if she was beautiful. We, of course replied she was. My Mam told her not to delay getting home after the disco, she waved to her and said don’t worry I’ll be home and left.

Caroline left our house on the night of the 13th of February. She was laughing and in great form and looking forward to a night of dancing and socialising in the Stardust nightclub. It was also the night before St. Valentine’s Day and she was showing off the Valentine’s card she had bought for her boyfriend.

That was the last time we saw Caroline alive. She was the only one of that happy group of friends that did not return home.

The last time my Dad saw Caroline alive was when she was walking down the Kilmore Road heading towards the Stardust. He was travelling in the opposite direction coming home from work. He beeped the horn and waved at her and she waved back at him. When he arrived home and told Mam he had seen her she said she was probably giving out yards about him because he didn’t stop to give them a lift.

In the early hours of the 14th of February, a knock on the hall door woke me up. I assumed it as Caroline returning home and I smiled to myself thinking you’re in trouble now, forgot your key and still have to wash the dishes.

It wasn’t Caroline but her friend to tell us about the fire. The hours that followed brought shock, horror and hysterics, going to every hospital in the city searching for

Caroline and leaving her details. Also to the morgue with a description of what she was wearing when eventually a Garda called to the house and gave us the news we hoped and pryed we would not get, that our much-loved Caroline was dead.

While watching news reports on TV, we saw Caroline being carried out in the arms of a fireman. He placed her down and tried to resuscitate her, but it was too late.

There followed days of people calling, offering condolences. The Taoiseach visited our home to sympathise. Television reporters called to the door looking for photos of Caroline. We had the removal to the church and the funeral.

We were lucky if that’s the correct word to use in that we could see Caroline, talk to her, kiss her and say goodbye. There wasn’t a mark on her, even her nails were perfect. She looked as though you could call her name and she would wake up.

There were so many families could not see their loved ones. The coroner told my dad she died from toxic fumes and said she didn’t suffer and would have died in seconds.

Even forty years on, I can still clearly see our beautiful Caroline looking peaceful in her coffin wearing a pale blue shroud.

On route to Deansgrange cemetery for Caroline’s burial the hearse in front and the funeral car we the family were in pulled in and stopped. The driver of our car told us the car had a puncture. The poor man was upset and very embarrassed and told my Dad he only had a new set of tyres fitted days earlier. My Dad told the man not to worry that these things happen. The puncture was fixed in minutes, but we had to smile to ourselves because if Caroline had been in that car she would have found it hilarious and was possibly watching down on us having a good giggle. I don’t think in the forty years since that day I have ever heard of a funeral car having a puncture on route to a burial.

I know Caroline never mitched from school but she did mitch from Mass. She would leave the house as if going to church but would walk straight past the church and go for a walk. My Mam became a little bit suspicious so myself or my sister would open the hall door on her return and whisper the name of the priest who said Mass in case Mam asked.

A very black cloud descended on our home and stayed there for a long time. My parents were devastated, and many tears were shed. My Dad tried to console us, he was a man of great faith and told us that Caroline was still with us in spirit but we didn’t want her in spirit, we wanted her back in our lives.

Lying awake at night you would think of her last moments, was she frightened, did she cry, did she think of us or did she know she was going to die.

For a long time after her death, we didn’t talk about her as it caused so many tears and so much grief. As the years passed the dark cloud gradually lifted, family life

went on and we did talk about her, laughed at things she did and said. There have been many family events, weddings, births, big birthdays. Caroline was always remembered and mentioned.

There have been many nieces and nephews born into the family since Caroline’s death and we have two nieces who are her namesake and most of the girls have Caroline as their middle name, so her name lives on.

We often wonder what life would have been like for Caroline, marriage, family, promotion in her job. Would she be a grandmother, maybe thinking of retiring?

Three weeks before Caroline’s death, she revealed to the family that she was expecting a baby.

Forty years ago, teenage pregnancy was a taboo subject. My parents were devastated at the news but put their arms around her and assured her everything would be fine.

Caroline had been to the GP and he gave her a prescription for medication as she was anaemic. She didn’t fill the prescription, so the first thing Mam did wad send

Dad to the pharmacy to get the medication. She was told to rest for a few days. I remember Mam bringing her breakfast in bed, her sitting up, eating the breakfast and watching me frantically rushing around getting ready for work with a

mischievous grin on her face.

There was great excitement in our home at the prospect of a new baby in the family.

We were a bit like the Snapper family but not quite as mad. Caroline knew that she had the full support and love of her parents and siblings and was looking forward to the birth of her baby, but it was not to be.

Caroline’s baby would now be forty years of age and could have children of their own. The Stardust fire that night cut off two branches from the Carey family tree.

I very rarely dream about Caroline but when I do it’s the same dream in which she was injured in the fire and had to go away for treatment. On her return years later, I’m introducing her to all the family she didn’t know. I have aged in my dream but

Caroline is still as she was the night she left home to go to the Stardust. For a split second when I open my eyes, I hope and then realise it’s only a dream and our beautiful, bubbly, witty Caroline is gone and will never come home.