Antoinette Keegan, who survived the Stardust fire disaster but tragically lost her two sisters, Mary and Martina, in the fire 40 years ago, has said it is a difficult anniversary this year.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne she said it is the first anniversary of the tragedy without her mother Christine, a Stardust campaigner, who died last summer.
"She carried the campaign and kept fighting for justice and this year is going to be really hard," said Ms Keegan.
On 14 February 1981, 48 young people died and more than 200 were badly injured in the fire in the Stardust nightclub in Dublin’s Artane.
Ms Keegan recalled the night saying she remembers seeing the fire when she was dancing and the smoke drifting across the ceiling.
At first she thought it was the special effects.
She said her friend then alerted her to a small fire and the DJ made an announcement for everyone to stay calm as the fire was under control.
She said they walked over to their seats where they had left their coats, but the fire was coming down on top of them.
"The DJ made another announcement for everyone to make their way to the nearest exit. The fire was actually coming down on top of us. The roof and the ceiling started collapsing on top of us and thick black smoke filled up everywhere. The lights went out and the music stopped."
She described how they were left in the pitch dark and they could not breathe. "It was horrible," she added.
Speaking about the announcement of a date later this year for a new inquest into the disaster, Ms Keegan said it came three weeks after her mother died.
"I remember saying that my mum is after pushing the button from heaven. She is still helping us."
She also spoke of reliving the trauma again with this new inquest, having first gone through it all in 1982.
"To relive the whole lot again from 40 years ago. It is a memory imprinted in my head. I can still remember every single detail of that night."
