Stardust manager Eamon Butterly has denied trying to throw the now deceased head doorman Tom Kennan “under the bus” by telling the jury at the Dublin District Coroner’s Court that Mr Kennan locked exit doors in the nightclub on his own initiative.
Mr Butterly is giving evidence on Friday at the inquest into the blaze that swept through the Stardust nightclub in the early hours of February 14th, 1981, killing 48 people.
Michael O’Higgins SC, representing a number of the families of the victims, asked Mr Butterly if he remembered giving evidence the day before about three of the Stardust exits usually being opened around 10pm while the rest were unlocked two hours later. Mr O’Higgins said that Mr Butterly had replied to this: “Yes, that’s what Tom Kennan told me.”
“You were then asked why the other three exits were kept locked, and you said: ‘I don’t know’.’ You were then asked how this policy was in place, and you said: ‘It wasn’t a policy, it was something Tom Kennan told me he was doing. I told him that the doors shouldn’t be locked. I never saw the doors locked,’” said Mr O’Higgins.
Mr O’Higgins went on to say that Mr Butterly had given evidence that he had never seen any doors locked in the Stardust, but if he did “there would be trouble.”
Mr O’Higgins said Mr Butterly had said that this was just something Tom Kennan was doing.
"You said that you would never allow that. You said he had to stop doing that. From reading that, my impression is that this was something Tom Kennan was doing on his own initiative,” said Mr O’Higgins.
"He was in charge,” said Mr Butterly.
Mr O’Higgins said that the door staff who had given evidence at the inquest had spoken of Mr Butterly “hiring and firing at will”.
“One of them said you had hired and fired him three times,” said Mr O’Higgins.
“I don’t recall that,” replied the witness.
“He said you were a tough man and very volatile,” said Mr O’Higgins.
“The person who was hiring the doormen was Mr Kennan,” replied Mr Butterly.
“If Tom Kennan was locking doors in circumstances where you didn’t want him to do it and you told him to stop doing it and he kept locking them, why didn’t you fire him?” asked Mr O’Higgins.
“Tom Kennan was my father’s brother-in-law, he was my uncle, that’s why he was employed, he was an honourable person and I trusted him,” replied Mr Butterly.
“If what you’re saying isn’t true, you are attacking him in your evidence here, because you’re putting the blame on him, and he’s dead,” said Mr O’Higgins, going on to ask: “You wouldn’t be throwing Tom under the bus here?”
“I would not, no,” replied Mr Butterly.
Mr Butterly’s evidence continues on Friday afternoon in the Pillar Room of the Rotunda Hospital.
