Stardust Memorial Park ( ga, An Pháirc Cuimhneacháin Stardust) is a memorial park located in the Bonnybrook

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

Coolock Coolock () is a large suburban area, centred on a village, on Dublin city's Northside in Ireland. Coolock is crossed by the Santry River, a prominent feature in the middle of the district, with a linear park and ponds. The Coolock suburban are ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

built to commemorate the lives of those who died during the

Stardust fire The Stardust fire was a fatal fire which took place at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin, Ireland, in the early hours of 14 February (Valentine's Day) 1981. Some 800 people had attended a disco there, of whom 48 died and 214 were injure ...

at the Stardust night club in nearby Artane on 14 February 1981. The park was officially completed and opened on 18 September 1993 by the then

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin ( ga, Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach, links=no ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Th ...

, Tomás MacGiolla. The park comprises 22 acres along the

Santry River Santry River ( ga, Abhainn na Culoige) (formerly ''Skillings Glas'') is a fairly small river on the north side of Dublin city, one of the forty or so watercourses monitored by Dublin City Council. Course The Santry River rises at an elevat ...

and the land was originally a 12th-century monastic site.

History and development

The cost of the park was in excess of £500,000 Irish pounds and was partly funded by the

Irish government The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...

. The design was prepared in 1991, and work on-site commenced in February 1992 with a combination of contract work, direct labour and a community youth training project which was operating through FÁS, the state agency in charge of assisting citizens seeking employment. The major works were carried out by Dublin Corporation's Parks Department with input from various divisions. The park is enclosed with a mild steel railing on a plinth wall, and the entrances are defined by piers of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

which are of a similar design to that used in the memorial. 8,050 trees were planted, most of which were 11 years old making them as old as the incident in 1981.

Memorial

The memorial represents a circular pool with a bronze sculpture of a dancing couple in the middle and the memorial was designed by the sculptor, Robin Buick. Water is pumped by 48 jets in the illuminated fountain which surrounds the sculpture. The fountain is enclosed by 48 fence panels, each panel representing a person lost in the tragedy.

Facilities

The park has a playground, an all-weather football pitch which has been renovated by the

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Dublin in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the council was ...

in late 2015 and a garden terrace with seating. Various bridges are placed over the

which runs directly through the park into a small lake in the middle where a small island is present which is the home to many birds including swans and ducks. There are various seating areas around the park, primarily facing the park for passers-by who want to feed the birds.

Refurbishment

Beginning in early 2020, the park was refurbished ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Stardust nightclub fire by the means of thousands of bulbs being planted throughout the park. As well as this, the other works consisted of some trees being removed, a butterfly bank being added and new paths being created. Noting the park's association with anti-social behaviour, the

highlighted the issue and recognised that their first undertaking was to ensure that the users of the park felt secure. As well as the refurbishments, a dedicated gardener has been assigned to maintain the upkeep of the park. The memorial itself has been cleaned and restored to its former glory and two benches have been added near the memorial itself.

References

{{Green Dublin Coolock Monuments and memorials in the Republic of Ireland Parks in Dublin (city) Protected areas established in 1993