London-based Dr Denise Syndercombe-Court, who has testified at several criminal trials in Ireland as a DNA expert, said attempts to identify the men through DNA analysis may not prove successful, given how long it has taken for the process to be carried out.

Syndercombe-Court, who is attached to Queen Mary's School of Medicine, said the success of the process will depend on several factors, including how badly burnt the bodies were in the fire, which killed 48 people in February 1981. She told the Sunday Tribune that, while the process could succeed, the victims' families should not be overly confident.

"It is possible that this process will be successful, but it will depend on a lot of factors, " she said. "Body identification is difficult because the DNA needed degrades easily, so there is not so much of it. The conditions the bodies have been stored in are also hugely important. Dampness and heat are the two biggest factors that could affect the process."

Most DNA exists inside the nucleus of cells and is extracted from inside tissue. However, due to the length of time since the Stardust fire, Syndercombe-Court says investigators may instead have to rely on mitochondrial DNA, which exists outside the nucleus.

Using mitochondrial DNA, experts can identify bodies through maternal links. Chances of success are increased in the case of the Stardust victims, given that experts have five definite family links for the men, she said.

The families of the five men met with officials from the Department of Justice last Thursday, where the process of body identification was outlined to them. The bodies will be exhumed from St Fintan's cemetery this week and will undergo analysis in London. Results are not expected before the end of February.

"We know that there is no 100% guarantee that this will be successful, " said Jack Loughman, whose son Eamon was one of the five men who were never officially identified. "It would help us an awful lot if the bodies were identified. It would give us a sense of closure that we haven't had for the past 25 years."

Eamon Loughman's mother and four siblings will be asked to submit DNA samples over the coming weeks. According to Jack Loughman, none of the families will attend the exhumation of the bodies.

"It is very important that we can give Eamon a proper funeral", he said. "He was the oldest and his brothers and sisters were too young to say goodbye to him when he died, so it is very important that they are given that chance."