Council to discuss creating memorial to honour Kenneally survivors
Some of the Kenneally survivors, outside the Dáil.
Waterford Council have been formally requested to commission a permanent public memorial to honour all the victims of Bill Kenneally.
The proposal will be discussed by the Council's Corporate Policy Group at its upcoming September meeting.
Independent councillor Donal Barry said this week that the findings of the Commission of Inquiry and the recent State apology, recognised what the victims had been saying for years.
“While nothing can change what happened, we can decide how we remember it" he said.
“The memorial should be for every victim” he added, “the boys whose lives were changed forever, those who came forward, and those who, for their own reasons, have never spoken publicly. Every one of them deserves to be remembered.”
“The men who came forward carried what happened to them for decades. Speaking out wasn't easy. They faced disbelief, they faced powerful institutions, and they kept going. Because they did, failures by the State and its agencies were exposed, and changes were made that have helped make children safer. This is part of Waterford's history too, and one of the most important.
"Their courage didn't just matter to them. It changed how this country responds to child abuse and reinforced a simple truth: protecting children must always come before protecting the reputation of any institution, State, church and political.”
Cllr Barry said that Waterford has a rich tradition of marking the people and events that have shaped its history, with Blue Plaques, monuments, annual commemorations, named streets and re-named part of City Hall.
He said a memorial to the survivors of Kenneally should be the next addition.
“This memorial would not be about dwelling on the past. It would be about remembering why things changed. It would remind us what can happen when children are not listened to, when victims are not believed, and when those in authority fail to act. Those are lessons that should never be lost.”
“It would also send a message to anyone living with abuse today that they will be listened to, believed and supported.
“Most of all, it would recognise the courage of ordinary men who spoke up, despite everything they had been through. Their determination brought the truth into the open and helped make Ireland a safer place for children.
"I hope Waterford will choose to remember them in a way that is respectful, lasting and centred on all the victims. They deserve nothing less.”
(Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme)
