Families of the victims of the Stardust fire have told RTÉ News they have withdrawn co-operation from a Government-organised inquiry.
The fire on Valentine's Day 1981 claimed the lives of 48 young people.
The Stardust Victims Committee says the move comes after it discovered that John Gallagher SC - who was appointed by the Taoiseach last year to undertake an 'external and independent examination' - previously represented gardaí as a solicitor at the inquests into the Stardust deaths.
Committee spokeswoman Antoinette Keegan said the discovery was made while examining news reports from the time of the inquests.
When contact was made with John Gallagher by the Stardust Victims Committee this week, he confirmed that he had previously been a legal representative for gardaí at the inquests.
The Stardust families have now pulled out of the inquiry being chaired by Mr Gallagher.
Antoinette Keegan said the Taoiseach should have been aware of John Gallagher's previous legal work when he was appointed in April last year.
'Our criticism is not of John Gallagher,' Ms Keegan said. 'But we cannot continue to engage with him when he had a previous involvement at the inquests. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern should have known about this. Mr Gallagher should not have been appointed and now even more time has been wasted. We deserve nothing less than a full public inquiry into Stardust.'
A spokesperson for the Department of the Taoiseach confirmed that the issue of Mr Gallagher being involved in legal work at the Stardust inquests had been brought to the attention of the Taoiseach on Tuesday by legal representatives of the Stardust Victims Committee.
He said that the issues raised are now 'being considered'.
In the meantime, the families who lost loved ones at Stardust say they will not engage or co-operate with the current legal process being chaired by Mr Gallagher.
