The jury in the Carrickmines fire inquest has returned verdicts of misadventure in relation to the deaths of ten people.
Five adults and five children from two traveller families died when a fire broke out in a mobile home at the south Dublin halting site in 2015.
Before retiring earlier today, the jurors were told they’d no role to play in establishing who, if anyone, was to blame for what happened.
Their job was to consider who died, where they died and how they died.
Thomas Connors, his wife Sylvia and three children and five members of the Lynch family who were visiting that night died from carbon monoxide poisoning
A chip pan left on a cooker was the cause of the fire. Mr. Connors was the only one found to have eaten chips that night.
His baby daughter Mary was taken from the burning caravan but had to be rescued for a second time after the fire spread to the unit she was taken to.
She didn’t survive.
The jury returned verdicts of death by misadventure for all ten victims and made a number of recommendations including that new guidelines relating to fire safety for traveller accommodation to be implemented as best practice.
This evening, the Irish Traveller Movement (ITM) welcomed the recommendations made by the jury and warned that overcrowded conditions continues to provide a “fundamental threat to the safety of Travellers.”
It said the number of families sharing substandard accommodation has risen since a 2016 national fire safety report into traveller accommodation.
ITM director Bernard Joyce said there has been no national audit of Traveller Fire Safety since the 2016 report.
“While some local authorities have worked towards fire prevention strategies, there is no audit of completion or fulfilment,” he said.
“The inadequate provision of accommodation for Travellers is at an all-time high and since 2015 there have been other fires in Traveller accommodation,” he said.
“The Review of the Traveller Accommodation Act, currently underway, must take into account the inadequate overcrowding, poor standard of existing temporary Traveller accommodation and its overuse for long term stays.”
Lisa Algan(L) with Maggie Connors sister of Thomas Connors leaving the Dublin Coroners Court, 22-01-2019. Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNews
In a statement this evening meanwhile, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council acknowledged today’s verdict.
“The fire was a profoundly tragic event which has devastated the families and the Traveller Community locally and nationally,” it said.
“The thoughts of everyone in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council are with the Connors, Lynch and Gilbert families and their relatives and friends at this very sad and very difficult time.”
