George McDermott (18), Raheny - ‘He was so funny, one of the nicest people you could meet’

The inquests into the deaths of the 48 young people who died in the Stardust fire in Artane, Dublin in 1981 feature pen portraits of each of the deceased by bereaved family members. Find all of the portraits and more coverage here.

His name was George but to us he was Georgie ... He would have been 19 three weeks later.

Georgie was a very good-looking chap with black wavy hair and the most amazing hazel eyes. You would run away with him but, believe me, they’d bring him back just as quick. He always had a cheeky grin on his face and our mother used to say: “What’s he up to now?”

He was the joker of the family – could get up to anything. The family home was always full of sport and music, and no better man than our Georgie to do a little bop around the house.

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George was a gentle person who hated arguments or falling out with people. He would walk away if he thought trouble was coming. He just liked to get on with people.

He was a Tottenham Hotspur fanatic. He used to get a lot of slagging over that. But most of all Georgie loved playing cards with his pals out on the green. He always had a pocket full of change. You could hear the pennies rattling before you saw Georgie. Himself and his pals would sit on the green and bet with pennies. If he won, the younger kids got all of Georgie’s pennies.

Georgie loved going up to Howth. He loved the freedom up there and of course meeting his pals in The Cock Tavern for their game of cards. When he would come home late, which was quite a lot because he would have to walk when he lost, he would say: “Ah, sure, luck wasn’t with me tonight. I had to walk home.”

On the awful night, Georgie knocked up to me in his new clothes that my mam had bought him. He knocked at the door and said: “Well, what do you think Juney?” I said, “Would you not stay here and babysit for us and let us go?” “Not a chance. I have a date.” And off Georgie went.

All the kids that night had so much to live for, and left so much behind. We wonder what Georgie would be like. Would Georgie be married? Would Georgie have children? Imagine another Georgie.

He would have been 61, probably running Paddy Power bookies. Georgie was so funny and one of the nicest people you could meet. He was a young fella full of life and we will always, always keep his memory alive.

Now that we have come on this long journey Georgie has his identity back. Georgie is no longer ‘number 30′. He is George McDermott, our brother, our Georgie. Thank you.