LAST UPDATE | 7 Nov
STARDUST ACTIVIST AND survivor Antoinette Keegan has withdrawn as an election candidate for the National Party, days after launching her campaign.
Keegan, 62, said the Stardust tragedy, which claimed the lives of 48 young people, would be her main campaign issue, but would also pledge to improve housing and hospitals.
Her sisters Mary, 19, and Martina, 16, died after a fire broke out at a Valentine’s Day event in 1981 at the popular Stardust nightclub.
She and her late parents have been to the fore of the more than 40-year campaign for justice for the victims, the injured and their families.
In April, an inquest concluded that the 48 victims who died in the fire had been unlawfully killed, after which Taoiseach Simon Harris delivered a State apology to the families in the Dáil.
Keegan launched her bid on Monday, announcing she would stand as a candidate in Fingal East – later changing to Dublin Bay North.
However, the campaigner withdrew from the race today after admitting “an error in judgment”.
She apologised to members of the public and said her principles did not align with the National Party.
In a statement, Keegan said: “In recent days I announced my intention to run in the upcoming general election. I did so with an exclusive focus on being a voice for those who need it most.
“For four decades, alongside my late mother, I have campaigned for justice for my sisters who died in the Stardust fire. Our campaign has always been one predicted upon human rights and equality.
“In recent days, I was approached by the National Party who wished to support me in my nomination to run for election. I accepted this proposal and agreed to be their candidate.
“In hindsight, and upon reflection, this was an error of judgment. Having accepted this proposal, I had failed to consider our competing interests on the most basic of issues.”
She added: “With the benefit of advice from my dear friend Darragh Mackin, I have realised that in hindsight, the principles I have long prided myself in are incompatible with the political party to which I had been nominated.
Darragh Mackin is a solicitor who represented most of the victims’ families during the Stardust Inquest.
Keegan said: “I pride myself in being a daughter, sister, mother and grandmother who fearlessly speaks truth to power in seeking equality for the most vulnerable in society. I cannot put my name to a party whose views do not align with my own.
“In the same vein that I have held others to account, I hold myself to account in acknowledging where I have made a mistake. For years, I have engaged with all political parties from all walks of life. I judged people on their actions and not on their slogans.
“Through this mistake, I have learned a valuable lesson that my time is best spent supporting those who have supported me and the other Stardust families over the years, as opposed to running myself.
“I apologise for my mistake and call upon all of my community who kindly supported me regardless of politics, to accept my withdrawal of running in the general election.
“I realise now that I wouldn’t have been able to be part of any political party, as at this time, my energy remains focused on outstanding issues in relation to the Stardust, and one of them is finishing my book which is almost completed.”
In a statement, the National Party said it “did our due diligence in terms of explaining the likely responses to her candidacy, particularly from politically aligned supporters of her Stardust campaigning work”.
“The National Party’s policies, platform and ideology are all publicly accessible and unambiguous,” said the statement.
“Ms Keegan suggested she understood all this.”
The spokesperson added: “A week is a long time in politics. It is clearly the best outcome that she withdraws her candidacy at this early stage, before any further resources had been expended and a proper campaign had been mounted.”
The National Party said it was “predictable that such a high-profile candidacy would result in extreme pressures on the candidate” and that it “accepts and respects her decision to withdraw from the election campaign”.
-With additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper
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