A survivor of the Stardust fire is going to start a political party aimed at finding "truth and justice" in Irish society, Dublin Live can reveal.
Antoinette Keegan, who tragically lost her sisters Mary and Martina in the fire, is set to launch her own party after years of campaigning for the Stardust victims and survivors. The blaze at the Stardust nightclub in Artane took place in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 1981.
Some 800 people attended the disco on the night and, tragically, 48 of those died while a further 214 were injured. Antoinette has been fighting to get to the bottom of what happened ever since.
Read more: Stardust survivor Antoinette Keegan gives update on sister's lost picture
And now, she has announced she is going to start her own political party informed by her experiences campaigning for justice. She said: "I have thought about it long and hard and I have been approached by so many people that I should actually go for the elections.
"I want to start my own political party to stand up for the rights of our citizens and for truth and justice for everything that was done to people in the past and present. That we will get honesty.
"We are not going to have anymore corruption, collusion or cover ups. This party will be a party for the people."
Antoinette was speaking at the last day of the preliminary hearing of the inquest at the Rotunda Hospital. The inquest into the events around the Stardust tragedy will begin next month.
"I am feeling very positive. I am just hoping that everything is finalised here today and it is onwards and upwards then for us. It is great that we can finally get the truth and justice at the inquest.
"The witnesses will come forward and they will give their testimony and the expert witnesses. And we will finally get to the trust of what happened on February 14, 1981.
"We are just asking anyone that has been called to give evidence to be positive and tell the truth of what happened on that night and we are all behind you. We know you have suffered horrendously and it is something you will never forget but we are behind you."
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