Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

New landmark documentary series Stardust on RT One and RT Player

13/05/2024

New compelling eye-witness testimony of Stardust fire in RT documentary

Series filmed over three years includes interview with Charlie Bird filmed in 2021

New eye-witness testimony from the night of the Stardust fire from bar staff, emergency responders and survivors comprehensively recount the events of the night of the disaster in the first episode of a new landmark documentary series on RT One and RT Player from Sunday at 9.30pm.

Stardust, a three-part documentary series, tells the full and unvarnished story of the Stardust nightclub fire and the 43-year search for justice undertaken by the families of those killed in the fire. The series will be broadcast across three consecutive nights, Sunday May 12th at 9.30pm and continues tomorrow night and Tuesday at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player.

Three years in the making by RT , this definitive account of the Stardust nightclub tragedy chronicles the night of the fire and the fall-out from it, the initial investigation into the fire, the relatives' fight for justice up to the point of a second inquest and concludes with the historic decision of unlawful killing' delivered into the Coroner's Court on April 18th.

Tonight's episode features a sit-down interview with the late Charlie Bird about the nightclub fire that he attended as an RT News journalist in 1981. After campaigning for decades on behalf of the Stardust families, Charlie spoke to RT 's documentary crew in 2021 to recall the night.

Charlie Bird said: I remember getting the phone call that night - my boss he told me to get my backside out to Artane - there had been a fire in a disco called the Stardust, I hadn't a clue where it was. I remember jumping in my car and going over Butt Bridge and I just followed the ambulances from there out to the Stardust So many people there - ambulances, fire brigades, reporters, onlookers from all over the place - it was absolutely chaotic.

He continued: It was a dream - the whole thing was a dream or a nightmare - that was unfolding as dawn came you began to see the shell of the Stardust - that charred and the smell the smoke was still rising from it.

In a way we didn't know then what the scale of the tragedy was, how many people had died and the numbers who were injured. Charlie Haughey arrives and the most bizarre thing of all - we walked through the Stardust! We were allowed in talk about forensics, it's the most bizarre thing! We were actually allowed to trudge through it!

In a rare interview, survivor of the Stardust fire Valerie Deasy describes first seeing the blaze in the nightclub: I looked around for my sister to see where she was and I went up to her and said c'mon we better go' and she said sure it's only a little fire.' We could see it It was in a corner on a seatthat's what it looked like to me anyway and we walked over and we were standing quite close to the exits - but they were chained.

Valerie talks about how the fire grew quickly and in the chaos, she ended up on the floor. She says: Everyone was standing on me, trampling on me but then I thought I had died - because everything went deathly silent - there wasn't a sound and it was pitch black.

She adds: You could see the light coming from a door being opened and slowly but surely there was people just pulling people out and eventually somebody pulled me out. There was guy who worked in the community centre, the youth leaders, and I went over to him and said Mick will you bring me home'. I actually thought I was going to sneak back into the house and my mother wouldn't realise that I'd been out - so he said to me Who are you?' because he didn't recognise me. And I said it's Valerie' and he said to me - what's that?' And all the skin off my face was here it was in my hand, and I just held it in my hand while we got in the car and he drove me into Jervis Street.

Phyllis Campbell was 16years old on the night of fire and was working as bar staff in another part of the Stardust venue. In Sunday night's documentary, Phyllis recounts for the first time in a television interview the first signs of fire and the panic in the venue as they discovered the doors wouldn't open.

Phyllis Campbell tells the Stardust documentary: We were lounge girls and we would serve the drink to the tables, clear the glasses, we would wear a white blouse, black skirt, we were supposed to - that was our uniform.

Everybody was excited to be going to the Stardust on Valentine's night with a disco competition because most of the people that were in the disco competition - we knew

We were in the Lantern Rooms tidying around, that function was coming to an end - one of the lounge staff came in to say there was a fire in the Stardust and we went into see.

She continues: The flames was going across the ceiling then there was a gush of fire and it was like the material from the ceiling was falling on fire

The lights went out People screaming, glasses smashing, the roars of the fire - so we held on to each other and we went through the bar - I slipped and fell.

Phyllis says: When we got outside it was as bad outside - the screams coming from inside People that did go to exit doors had no chance - there was no way that they would have got out those doors because they were chained and because the toilet windows had bars on - there was no way out there. Jesus help us get us out' and then silence. Seeing people that you had spoke to a couple of minutes beforehand coming out black, covered in smoke and there was others trying to get back in cos their families were in there.

I remember my aunt saying is it really really bad - and she saying half of Coolock is gone.

RT 's Stardust documentary project is a comprehensive telling of the s
LINK: https://about.rte.ie/2024/05/13/new-landmark-documentary-series-stardu...
See more stories from rte

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Sonys Hugo Gaggioni Highlights HDR Advances, Software-Defined Workflows

At the 2026 NAB Show, Sony is showcasing a broad slate of innovations across liv...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Fujinons Stosh Durbacz on Expanding the 4K Broadcast Lens Lineup With New Portable Zooms, 94x Box Lens

Fujifilm is sharpening its focus on core broadcast production with a new wave of...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Rock-It Sports' John Walberg on Powering Logistics, Shipping for the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup

This upcoming summer in North America is going to be a busy one. The 2026 FIFA M...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Glookast outlines product updates including Media Producer UX, connectors and Premiere Pro panel

Glookast (Booth W1661) announced a series of product updates at NAB Show 2026, c...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Matrox Video and Amagi collaborate on cloud-based broadcast workflows using ORIGIN framework

Matrox Video and Amagi announced a collaboration to integrate the Matrox ORIGIN ...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Riedel SimplyLive supports expanded centralised VAR system for Argentina football league

Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) announced that the Asociaci n del F tbol Arg...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Ikegami introduces VFE-P07D OLED viewfinder with integrated LCD monitor

Ikegami (Booth C3819) announced the VFE-P07D monocular OLED viewfinder at NAB Sh...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: IABM rebrands as IAMT and launches AI discovery platform and global alliance

International Association of MediaTech (IAMT), formerly known as IABM, announced...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Harmonic supports DIRECTV DTH platform upgrade with VOS Media Software

Harmonic (Booth W2831) announced that DIRECTV is updating its US direct-to-home (DTH) video platform using Harmonic's VOS Media Software. The deployment is...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Wasabi Technologies acquires Seagate Lyve Cloud business

Wasabi Technologies announced that it has acquired the Lyve Cloud business from Seagate Technology. As part of the agreement, Seagate received equity in Wasabi ...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: EVS introduces Choreon robotics orchestration platform for unified production control

EVS (Booth N1841) has launched Choreon, a robotics controller for media producti...

20/04/2026

SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2026, Day 2: Live Reports From the Show Floor in Vegas

The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Skyline Communications launches DataMiner packages on Grass Valley AMPP App Store

Skyline Communications announced the availability of its DataMiner xOps platform...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: SNS launches Outpost, Trio and AI Suite for connected post-production workflows

Studio Network Solutions (Booth N1129) introduced a set of new products at NAB S...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Dell Technologies and NVIDIA present AI data platform for media workflows

Dell Technologies is showcasing its Dell AI Data Platform with NVIDIA at NAB Sho...

20/04/2026

NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design Announces Fairlight Live Software Audio Mixer

Blackmagic Design has announced Fairlight Live, a software-based live audio mixer with SMPTE 2110 support and spatial audio mixing. A public beta is available n...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Imagine Comms Jimbo Haneklau Talks Prismon, Hybrid IP/SDI Workflows, and Cloud Playout

At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Imagine Communications VP of Sales, Sports an...

20/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: LiveUs Phillip Broaddus on LU900Q Launch, Nexus Cloud Platform, and REMI Growth

At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, LiveU Senior Director of Sales, Sports Philli...

20/04/2026

3 New Ways to Dive Deeper Into the Music You Love

A song that perfectly captures a moment is magic. But when you uncover the story behind it, who made it, what inspired it, and the meaning woven into the lyrics...

20/04/2026

Deity Microphones announce the PR-4

Ultra-compact 32-bit recorder set for launch Deity Microphones will soon be launching a new 32-bit six-track recorder that's been designed with producti...

20/04/2026

Lectrosonics preview the S1

Uncoming lightweight shotgun mic announced Production-sound experts Lectrosonics have recently announced the upcoming launch of a new lightweight shotgun mi...

20/04/2026

The story of Focusrite ISA

New 20-minute documentary explores iconic preamp In 2025, Focusrite commissioned a new short-form documentary with filmmaker Chris Mayes-Wright - the direct...

20/04/2026

Sampleson release Boomcha

Turn quick sketches into real drum grooves Sampleson have been experimenting with assitive production tools recently, and their latest creation aims to make...

20/04/2026

Rohde & Schwarz rolls out its full ARDRONIS counter UAS suite in a demonstration van at Counter UAS Technology Europe 2026

Rohde & Schwarz rolls out its full ARDRONIS counter UAS suite in a demonstration...

20/04/2026

Protecting America's Shores: L3Harris Keeps the Coast Guard Mission-Ready

L3Harris delivers integrated communications, navigation and C4ISR capabilities that empower the U.S. Coast Guard to protect Americas maritime interests and resp...

20/04/2026

Google Cloud Embraces the Rise of Agentic Production

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Creators Go All in on AI, Niche Content

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

NBC Sports' Jon Miller: Broadcast Is Having a Moment'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Beyond the Lift and Shift': Cloud Migration's New Mandate

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Virtual Production Finds Its Footing

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Corporate Creators: All Companies Are Media Companies Now

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

IABM Rebrands as the International Association of MediaTech

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

CBS Detroit Debuts New AR/VR Technology-Driven Studio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Fox Sports Taps Appear X Platform for Remote Production

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

CueScript and Lighting Design Group Expand Customer Oppor...

CueScript and Lighting Design Group Expand Customer Opportunities Through New Partnership Find both companies at 2026 NAB Show in CueScript Booth # C 4720 ...

20/04/2026

Layercake Deepens Bitmovin Integration to Power End-to-En...

[Sydney, NSW, 20 April 2026] - Layercake, the company behind the intelligent media orchestration platform Streamcake, today announced the formalisation of its i...

20/04/2026

FOX Sports selects Appear X Platform for next-generation...

Deployment spans FOX Sports' REMI infrastructure, IP production for a major global soccer event, and its Jewel Events production systems Appear, a global l...

20/04/2026

Pro Sound Effects Launches the Industry's First and Only Native Sound Effects Integration for Avid Media Composer at NAB 2026

Pro Sound Effects Launches the Industry's First and Only Native Sound Effect...

20/04/2026

SBE Elevates Fred Willard to SBE Fellow

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/04/2026

Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3 Update

Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3 Update Brie Clayton April 20, 2026 0 Comments New update adds camera control and monitoring ...

20/04/2026

Maxon Announces Free Tools and Mobile Expansion of ZBrush and Cinema 4D

Maxon Announces Free Tools and Mobile Expansion of ZBrush and Cinema 4D Brie Clayton April 20, 2026 0 Comments Cinema 4D brings professional 3D workfl...

20/04/2026

Vizrt AI Keyer kills the green screen and creates virtual scenes in any environment

Vizrt AI Keyer kills the green screen and creates virtual scenes in any environm...

20/04/2026

Register now - Market & Audience Department Ask Me Anything (AMA) Session

Register now - Market & Audience Department Ask Me Anything (AMA) Session 11 February 2026 Screen Australia Head of Market & Audience Rakel Tansley Talking to...