Mary Butler issues State apology to Keneally survivors
Mary Butler delivers a State Apology to the survivors of Bill Keneally's abuse, acknowledging institutional failures identified in the Commission's report and pledging support. She names specific failures, commits to counselling and redress, and calls for mediation as the next step.
Mary Butler opens by directly addressing survivors and their families, acknowledging their courage and the decades of burdens they carried. She expresses a personal and official apology on behalf of the State and notes the report's vindication of those who suffered under Bill Keneally.
The address highlights the Commission's findings that opportunities to stop the abuse existed, particularly in 1987 and 2001. Mary Butler cites the report's conclusion that individuals and institutions, including two senior Gardaí in Waterford, a school principal, the Southeastern Health Board, Monsignor Shine, and two former Waterford Fianna Fáil TDs, failed the victims.
Mary Butler emphasises that an apology must be matched with action: access to counselling, long-term mental health supports and practical assistance for survivors. She says the Government will engage constructively on the Commission's recommendations and that mediation should now follow to provide meaningful recognition and redress.
While the State cannot change what happened, Mary Butler insists it can acknowledge the truth, accept responsibility and commit to standing with survivors now and in the future. The focus, she says, must remain on the victims and survivors every day.
Acknowledgement and apology
Mary Butler opens by directly addressing survivors and their families, acknowledging their courage and the decades of burdens they carried. She expresses a personal and official apology on behalf of the State and notes the report's vindication of those who suffered under Bill Keneally.
Findings and named failures
The address highlights the Commission's findings that opportunities to stop the abuse existed, particularly in 1987 and 2001. Mary Butler cites the report's conclusion that individuals and institutions, including two senior Gardaí in Waterford, a school principal, the Southeastern Health Board, Monsignor Shine, and two former Waterford Fianna Fáil TDs, failed the victims.
Support, redress and next steps
Mary Butler emphasises that an apology must be matched with action: access to counselling, long-term mental health supports and practical assistance for survivors. She says the Government will engage constructively on the Commission's recommendations and that mediation should now follow to provide meaningful recognition and redress.
Responsibility and commitment
While the State cannot change what happened, Mary Butler insists it can acknowledge the truth, accept responsibility and commit to standing with survivors now and in the future. The focus, she says, must remain on the victims and survivors every day.
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Transcript
Go raibh maith agat, lás ceann. To the survivors of Bill Keneally's horrific abuse, to your families and your loved ones, and to those joining us in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery and the gallery upstairs, I want to begin by acknowledging your courage. For decades you carried a burden that should never have been yours to bear. Today is about you, about your experiences, and about the failures that allowed you to be so grievously let down. I have listened intently to the survivors' testimonies in recent weeks, in the wake of the report's publication. You have spoken about vindication, closure, moving on with your lives and healing. It is my sincere hope that today's State Apology will help you on that journey. I want to acknowledge the work of Judge White, his team, and former Chair Judge Hickson for the comprehensiveness of the investigation, which fully vindicates all those who were subject to the most appalling abuse by Bill Keneally. The report makes clear that opportunities existed to stop the abuse sooner, especially in 1987 and 2001. Individuals and institutions who should have acted failed to do so. The report found two senior Gardaí in Waterford, Sean Cashman and PJ Hayes, a school principal, the Southeastern Health Board, Monsignor Shine, and two former Waterford Fianna Fáil TDs, Billy Keneally Senior and Brendan Keneally failed the victims. 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 harm suffered. As a Waterford TD, as a Minister of 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. I wish to thank Aunty Shack for the State apology. An apology must be accompanied by actions. As survivors, you must have access to counselling, mental health supports and practical assistance for as long as you need them. The Government will engage constructively and compassionately on the recommendations arising from the Commission's work, including any measures necessary to provide meaningful recognition and redress. Mediation should now be the next step. The ordeal you have endured is incomprehensible. You have been to hell and back, but your courage forced the truth into the open. Your persistence ensured that the failures could no longer be ignored. The State cannot change what happened, but it can acknowledge the truth. It can accept responsibility for its failures and commit itself to standing with you now and in the future. Today and every day, our focus must be on you, the victims and the survivors.