The brothers and sister of a woman who died in the Stardust fire has said their family lost its soul that night, with a sense of numbness lingering in their minds forever.
Thelma Frazer was 20 years old when she died in the blaze in Artane in Dublin in February 1981.
Today her brothers Maurice and Eric and sister Barbara paid tribute to her and spoke of their loss at the inquest into the disaster which has now entered its second week.
Barbara Collins described her sister as gentle and kind, and said she would do anything for anyone.
She told the Dublin Coroner's Court of her last memory of her sister.
''On Friday 13 February 1981, I was just six years old, the night that changed our lives forever. Thelma came into the bedroom as I watched with admiration while she got her makeup and hair ready... She then hugged me, gave me a kiss and tucked me into bed before heading off with Michael for the St Valentine's night disco.
"That was the last time saw my big sister.''
Thelma died along with her boyfriend Michael Farrell.
She said that growing up, neighbours and family would call her Thelma by mistake, which happens still to this day.
She said she knows Thelma is still watching over her, and said what she would give for her not to have gone that night.
Thelma's brother Maurice recalled the horror in the aftermath of the fire and of identifying her remains.
"As we went in, the cigarette smoke was choking and there was another smell. The sobbing from families was interrupted by cries of anguish and anger," he said.
He said they were given a brown envelope with a few pieces of melted jewellery and the remains of a digital watch which was identified as Thelma's.
A few days later dental records confirmed Thelma's identity.
He told the inquest when he sees the Stardust memorial in Coolock, with the young man and the young woman dancing, he pictures them as being Thelma and Michael.
He also said he hopes the families can finally have truth and justice.
Thelma's brother Eric also gave testimony.
He said the Stardust fire changed the lives of hundreds of people forever.
He said: "Until we are linked together in heaven, my heart will remain broken."
Read more: Stardust victims' families hope their search for answers is nearing an end
'No explanations or answers'
The sister of a teenager who died in the Stardust fire has said she hopes the inquest into the disaster will provide long overdue answers that should have been the priority for the government for the last 40 years.
Josephine Glen was 16 years old when she died.
Her sister Sheena Glen told the Dublin District Coroner's Court, that for four decades, the families of the 48 victims have been fobbed off with no explanations or answers.
Sheena described 'Jo' as a happy, kind, loving and sociable person.
She told the inquest that Jo went to work at 14 years old, as soon as she left school and contributed the majority of her wages to the household, to help her mother, who was a single mother-of-four.
Jospehine's other sister, Alison Glen, who was one year younger, spoke her guilt of not being at the dance in the night in question.
"I wasn't there on the night of the Stardust and still live with the guilt of not being there for her that night. Love you and miss you Jo,'' she said
Sheena Glen spoke of how Josephine died of her injuries days after the fire.
"My brother went to identify Jo and when we saw her with very few burns on her body, we were elated. We thought that she was going to be okay. However, Jo was on a life support machine for five days and never regained consciousness."
She said not a day goes by that the family does not think about Jo and wonder "what life would have been like if she hadn’t been taken from our family over 40 years ago".
"We still miss her every day and will continue to miss her for the rest of our lives," she said.
'We saw people die right in front of us'
A woman who survived the Stardust fire has spoken about the trauma of losing her friend in the disaster.
Yvonne Graham was delivering a 'pen portrait' of teenager Susan Morgan who died in the blaze 42 years ago.
She said herself and 'Susie' were part of a group of girls who moved from Derry to Dublin. They lived and worked together.
"She was so bubbly. She really loved life. She was so funny," Yvonne Graham told the inquest.
"Our life in Dublin was a massive contrast with Derry. We had left a place which was in conflict, and we had arrived in a city buzzing with life and freedom," she said.
She said she saw "terrible, terrible, things that nobody should ever see" on the night of the Stardust fire.
"We were only young, and we saw other young people die right in front of us," she said.
In the aftermath, there was blame she told the inquest. "In the grief and loss, us girls were blamed for Susie being killed in the fire. We were blamed for taking her away from her home in Derry, for taking her away into danger."
"At night, I had terrible nightmares. In nightmares, I saw burnt bodies coming up the bed at me. I had to take sedatives. I was only 18 and I was just sitting staring into space."
Four decades later, she said she is still living with the effects, "It's not only the obvious trauma, it’s also the worries that shape the way you go about things every day."
She said every Valentine's Day plunges her into terrible memories. "Normality has been taken away," she said.
Speaking through tears, she ended her testimony by saying she hopes the inquest brings justice for the people who have been waiting for many years.
"We should not have had to wait so long for justice. The families whose loved ones were killed in the Stardust fire need to get justice now," she said.
The families in the courtroom applauded.
The inquest continues.
