An independent report into the Stardust Tragedy has concluded that no new investigation is warranted.

The news will come as a blow to the families of the 48 young people who were killed in the fire in Artane, Dublin on Valentine's Day 1981.

While Justice McCartan's report has yet to be published, it has been made available to Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan and the families.

In a statement this afternoon, Minister Flanagan said the report had found that "no further new enquiry is warranted."

He described the blaze as "one of the greatest tragedies" in Ireland's history.

However, Antoinette Keegan, who was in the nightclub on the night and lost two sisters in the blaze, said the report again ignores emergency calls that say the fire started on the roof of the building:

"As a witness that was there that night, I remember that fire was still a small little fire and bouncers trying to put it out when the whole ceiling came crashing down on top of us," she said.

"That is how I know.

"I am gutted, I really am. I can't believe it.

Expert opinions

Judge McCartan was chosen by the families as the man to examine fresh evidence relating to the tragedy they had uncovered - however Ms Keegan took aim at his handling of the review:

"We asked for forensic pathologist to be brought in and he said he didn't need one," she said.

"We asked for a fire expert to be brought in so he could understand the report - and he said he didn't need one.

"He is a retired judge, he is not a forensic pathologist, he is not an electrical engineer and he is not an expert in any of the fire dynamics."

Minister Flanagan said he wanted to acknowledge the "terrible pain and loss of the relatives of the victims and the fact that the report does not come to the conclusion that they would have wished for."

"This report by Judge McCartan is the third independent assessment of the available evidence and, while I understand that the pain of the relatives is compounded by the failure to discover the cause of the fire, this report concludes that no new enquiry is warranted,” he said.  

The report has been handed to the Stardust Relatives and Victims Committee and will also be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas