What our four Waterford TDs said to the survivors of Bill Kenneally in Dáil Éireann
During yesterday's formal state apology, all four Waterford TDs addressed the survivors of Bill Kenneally and their families in Dáil Éireann.
(A breakdown of the Taoiseach’s formal state apology can be read here)
Minister Mary Butler said in her address that the victims of Bill Kenneally “have been through hell and back.”
“Your courage forced the truth into the open. Your persistence ensured that the failures could no longer be ignored” she added.
Minister Butler acknowledged the failures of senior gardaí, and two former Waterford Fianna Fáil TDs, Billy Kenneally Snr. and Brendan Kenneally.
“Whether they stayed silent, failed to act or actively sought to conceal the truth, their conduct was inexcusable and unacceptable by any standard then and now. Children were not protected when they should have been. Those failures compounded the harms suffered.
“As a Waterford TD, as a Minister of State in this Government, as a mother, I am profoundly sorry for what happened to you. I am sorry that you as children were not protected. I am sorry that warnings were not acted upon. I am sorry for the years you spent seeking answers, seeking recognition and seeking justice.
The Minister for Mental Health added that the victims must now have access to counselling, mental health supports and practical assistance for as long as you need them.
She added that mediation should be the next step, including redress for victims.
Sinn Féin health spokesperson, David Cullinane, said that today belongs first and foremost to the survivors of the horrific abuse.
“I recognise the enormous courage you have shown and the terrible wrongs that were done to you, not only by the man who abused you but by the institutions and individuals who should have protected you and failed to do so, those who knew young boys were being abused by a monster and who did worse than nothing by preventing justice for decades and allowing the conditions for horrific abuse to happen and to continue.”
Deputy Cullinane acknowledged that the damage inflicted onto victims did not end when the abuse ended, and has followed survivors into their relationships, their family lives, their working lives and their mental and physical health.
He acknowledged the families of the survivors and the wider public in Waterford, “who understood the injustice that had taken place and stood behind the demand for truth and accountability.”
He also recognised the work of journalists Damien Tiernan and Saoirse McGarrigle for shining a spotlight onto the failures of state organisations and for asking difficult questions.
Concluding his address, Deputy Cullinane said the courage of the victims will never be forgotten.
Minister of State John Cummins said what the victims suffered was abhorrent. He described the commission’s report as deeply disturbing reading.
He said that the victims fought hard to be believed and for accountability.
“Above all, you fought for justice. That burden should never have rested on your shoulders. The authorities responsible for protecting you should have acted long before you were forced to carry that responsibility yourselves.
“It is impossible to fully comprehend the pain and trauma that you have endured or the lifelong impact it has had on you and your families."
He thanked the survivors for their courage and resilience, and for refusing to allow the truth to remain hidden despite the immense personal cost.
“It is difficult to comprehend how something so horrific could occur within the Waterford community that I know and love, and that it could continue for so long without Bill Kenneally being brought to justice.
He said he hopes the state apology will offer a sense of closure for the victims.
“It cannot erase the past, but it can recognise the profound wrong that was done to you and the failures that allowed it to happen. We owe it to you not only to remember these failures but also to learn from them. Ultimately, that is a responsibility each of us in this House shares” he concluded.
Deputy McGuinness paid tribute to the “extraordinary courage of the survivors and their families, whose determination made this day possible.”
He said a full and formal state apology to the survivors has been a long time coming.
He added that the apology marks a moment of vindication for all those who were abused by “a vile, calculating, predatory paedophile who was protected by people who knew better and by institutions whose duty it was to protect children.”
“No longer can this State or our society allow perpetrators to hide in the shadows. The days of deference to the powerful and well-connected must be over. The days of impunity, silence and cover-up must never be allowed to return."
Deputy McGuinness also thanked survivors and their families for their “courage and power.”
“Bill Kenneally died in prison, where he belonged last month, serving a 19-year sentence for his crimes against children in Waterford.
“However, he lived a long life free from the consequences of his crimes before the walls finally closed in on him. I encourage anyone who has suffered abuse to come forward. You deserve to be heard; you deserve justice.”
