Stardust Baby: A young life scarred by tragedy

Honest and unvarnished memoir by a child orphaned after the infamous nightclub fire

Gardaí stand outside the main entrance of the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin, where 48 young people died in a fire in 1981. Picture: PA

MEMOIR

Stardust Baby

By Lisa Lawlor

Mirror Books, €14.99

When Lisa Lawlor was growing up, she heard the words “God help her” so often that they felt like part of her name. Since the Dubliner’s parents had both died in the 1981 Stardust nightclub fire, however, what she really needed was support from the people around her.

“I seemed to be a walking, living, breathing symbol of tragedy and not just an ordinary little girl,” ...