Introduction
Eugene (Hughie) Hogan was 24 years of age when his life was cut short in the early hours of February 14th, 1981.
Background
Eugene 'Hughie' Hogan was a son, a brother, a husband, and a father. He was born on June 2nd, 1956, in Finglas, Dublin, the fifth son to Eileen and Ted. The Hogan family would grow to nine children, six boys and 3 girls.
When Eugene was 12 the family moved to a new home in Woodville estate on Kilmore drive. Ted was a pioneer employee of Aer Lingus, and it was an easy drive to work. Like all big Irish families, you learn to share, and develop a good sense of humour, growing up with so many siblings. Of course, there was always lots of slagging between the siblings, and maybe that's why Eugene hated his name and changed his name to Hughie.
The nine Hogan kids were very close and fiercely loyal to one another. He was closest to his brother Declan who was 11 months older. Both would pick fruit in the summers for spending money or play soccer with friends in the field at the bottom of the road. The two shared the love of working with their hands and both became skilled carpenters as adults. Hughie built fine Mahogany cabinets for his parents. He also loved songbirds and tried to make extra money breeding canaries in the depressed economy of 1970’s Dublin.
Hughie had a beautiful voice and loved to sing everything from Bowie to Bob Marley. He could even hit the high notes of The Stylistics love songs. He loved to Dance and would go to all the local dance halls in Artane and Coolock as a teenager moving on to the downtown nightclubs as a young man. He was slim and goodlooking; he loved to dress sharp in the latest styles.
Hughie was very social; he had many friends in the neighbourhood. Like all teens they loved to pull pranks. The night before Mother’s Day one year, on the way home from the pub, he and his friends thought it would be "Funny "to borrow all the neighbour’s garden furniture, gnomes, toadstools, and pink Flamingos, and place them in our garden. It was a gorgeous sunny Sunday and the garden looked spectacular! Of course, the Mother went mental, what would the neighbours think? A few red faces and some explaining, and everything was returned.
Hughie fell in love with Marie who lived just up the street. They married on March 18th, 1977. They had two beautiful daughters Andrea born September 1977, and Sonia May 1979. With the depression in Ireland at the beginning of the 80’s Hughie found himself out of work. He got an offer of a job and a new life, but he would have to move his wife and family to Kerry.
They were to move to Kerry on February 15th, 1981. On February 13th, while his younger sisters would babysit his little girls, Hughie and Marie would celebrate with his brother Declan and wife Geraldine. Saying goodbye to Dublin and toasting their future. Later that evening Hughie and Marie would join his younger brother Bernard at the Stardust. The rest is the horrible nightmare we have all been living for the last 40 years.
Stardust Fire
In the early hours of February 14th 1981 there was a loud knocking on the front door. Someone had brought our sister-in-law Marie back to our house. She said, "there is a fire at the Stardust" and Hughie and Bernard were missing.
The days following the fire were a blur of disbelief, shock, and sorrow. Our parents drove to the hospitals trying to find the boys. After many hours they located Bernard at the Mater Hospital, he had burns to his head, face, and hands.
We all were living in hope that Hughie would be found. The older brothers helped in the search for their brother. It was three days later when his older brother Edmund would identify Hughie’s body. Identity was confirmed by his belt and tattoo.
It was hard to grieve in such a public arena, trying to keep the politicians, the journalists, and photographers at bay. The church was filled with family, friends, and neighbours. Hughie was buried like many other victims in Sutton cemetery. One victim laid to rest, followed by another and another.
Politicians promised that they would investigate, but the Tribunal ultimately blamed the victims for starting the fire. The 48 families have waited 40 years for Justice.
Conclusion
Hughie was robbed of his life; his wife suffered the loss of her husband. Andrea and Sonia were deprived of their loving, caring father. Hughie missed out on his wonderful daughters and their children.
The circumstances of Hughie’s death are unspeakable - indescribable to be trapped and burnt alive. Ted and Eileen never came to terms with the Stardust atrocity, it was with them every day of their lives
