We suffered '43 years of systematic abuse by the Irish state' - Stardust survivor | Newsta

Simon Harris is the first Taoiseach who is “sincere” in his desire to help the Stardust families, Antoinette Keegan has said.

Following last week’s verdict that all 48 people who died in the tragedy were ‘unlawfully killed’, Mr Harris met with their relatives on Saturday.

Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show, Ms Keegan, who survived the disaster but lost two sisters, said she thought the meeting had been “very positive”.

Mr Harris will also deliver a State apology in Dáil Éireann this afternoon and Ms Keegan said it had been “constructive” for the families to let him know what they would like to hear.

“I haven’t seen it yet but I do believe that Simon Harris is doing his very, very best because he did ring me yesterday evening and said he had the apology finished,” she said.

“He said he was heading to the memorial, I didn’t know which memorial he was going to.

“He said, ‘I’m going to the one in Artane; I’m heading there now.’

“I said, ‘I’m here in Coolock, I could go down and meet you down there.’

“He said, ‘I’d love that.’”

When Ms Keegan met him there, she gave him a Stardust 48 pin for his jacket, which Mr Harris wore on his way into Cabinet today.

“I believe he’s the only sincere Taoiseach in 43 years that has put his hand out… and alleviate the pain and suffering,” Ms Keegan said.

“We will never forget our loved ones - they’ll always be there - but he’s the only sincere Taoiseach, in my eyes, that has come to us to see how he can help.”

At 37, Mr Harris is the youngest Taoiseach in the history of the State and was born six years after the 1981 tragedy took place.

Ms Keegan feels his youth has influenced the way he responsed to last week’s verdicts.

“Maybe, he has seen the way we were treated and he understands that this should have never happened,” she said.

“43 years of systematic abuse by the Irish State on us families - and that’s what it has been.

“He actually said he wouldn’t like that to happen to his family; that he would do the exact same thing as what we did.”

Going forward, Ms Keegan believes the tragedy of Stardust and the families long fight for justice should be taught to children in schools.

“This is part of our history,” she said.

“It was the biggest disaster in the history of the State and it would educate children that if they go into a nightclub and they see a door locked or they see anything that is wrong, they have to report it.

“So, that we never, ever have another Stardust resulting in 48 deaths.”

Today’s State apology will be delivered at 2pm.

#stardust #news #newstalk


___________________________________________________________________________