Speech by Minister of State for Planning & Local Government, John Cummins TD

State Apology to the survivors of Bill Kenneally

Thank you Ceann Comhairle,

At the outset, I want to acknowledge the survivors who are here with us today in the gallery and those who may be watching this debate at home. This day belongs to you. Your courage in coming forward, your determination to pursue the truth and your perseverance in seeking justice deserves our deepest respect and admiration.

For many years, you fought for what should never have been so difficult to obtain. You fought to be heard. You fought to be believed – and you fought 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.

What you suffered was abhorrent. It was a profound betrayal of trust and a devastating violation of your childhood. 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. While none of us can truly understand your experiences, we can acknowledge the enormity of what you have lived through and the extraordinary resilience you have shown in the aftermath.

Ceann Comhairle, The findings of The South East Commission of Investigation make for deeply disturbing reading. They remind us that not only were there countless instances of horrific forms of abuse, but there was also multiple examples of profound institutional failure. Time and again, opportunities to intervene were missed. Time and again, systems that existed to protect these men failed in that most fundamental responsibility.

The Commission found that there were clear failings in the manner in which allegations were handled, failings that fell below the standards expected, even of the time. That is a sobering conclusion. These failures cannot simply be explained away as the product of a bygone era. They represented serious shortcomings that allowed abuse to continue and denied the survivors the protection to which they were entitled.

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. It is equally difficult to accept that he was able to evade accountability for so many years while more young men suffered.

The survivors were failed by those who should have stood beside them.

Institutions that should have listened - did not.

Authorities that should have acted - failed to do so.

The hurt caused by the abuse itself was compounded by the failures that followed. That is why today’s apology is both warranted and long overdue.

While no apology can undo the harm that was inflicted or restore what was taken from you. I hope it affirms what you have known all along - that you were wronged, that your voices matter, and that the failures identified by the Commission are now recognised by the state.

To every survivor, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your resilience. And thank you for refusing to allow the truth to remain hidden, despite the immense personal cost.

I want to particularly thank those men who sat in the living room of my house and shared their horrendous experiences with me back when I was Mayor of Waterford. Those private conversations made me absolutely determined to support your request for the establishment of this commission of investigation with former Justice Minister’s Frances Fitzgerald and Charlie Flanagan.

It is my sincere hope that today’s State apology provides some measure of acknowledgement and, in time, some degree of closure. 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 to learn from them and ultimately that is a responsibility we all share.

Go raibh mile maith agaibh.