HE was a man held in high esteem; a man who got things done; a pillar of the Catholic Church in Co Kilkenny. To his parishioners he was their hard working, somewhat aloof, parish priest.

But behind the closed door of his home he inhabited the dark and secret world of a paedophile.

It was no coincidence that in his community work as a priest he focused on helping youths who, got into trouble, for it was these - he abused.

The victims, all but one, were young men on the wrong side of the law. The priest had a very good relationship with the local social services and would appear before the courts to offer help and accommodation. Shortly after the victims arrived in his house he would interfere with them. He would insist they sleep in his bed and then fondle, abuse and attempt to bugger them.

The victim who had not been in trouble was a young boy from a local family. He served Mass for the priest as an altar boy. The priest made himself a valued and trusted friend of the family, showed interest in the progress of the boy, so that his parents had "no qualms about their son going to stay overnight in his house. The boy was 15 when the abuse occurred.

The investigation into the paedophile activities of the priest, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victims, is believed to have been the biggest of its kind in the history of the State. During the investigation, gardai, headed by Supt Vincent Duff, interviewed over 800 people.

One of the priest's tragic victims was a mentally retarded young man. His abuse led in turn to his becoming an abuser. What happened to this man eventually led to the priest's arrest.

The man, now aged 31, is said to have the mental capacity of a 13 year old. The priest had him living in a caravan at the foot of his garden for about 10 years.

A court in Kilkenny recently heard the man had a tragic life from birth and had been constantly abused. It had begun when his father started abusing him at the age of 2 1/2.

He sexually assaulted a young boy near the Dominician Black Abbey Church in Kilkenny in June 1994. People working there at the time were able to give a description of the attacker to gardai.

This was broadcast on local radio. The priest approached the gardai saying he recognised the man from the description. He assured them he was harmless and he (the priest) would ensure that nothing like it would happen in the future. He also said it would be embarrassing for him if the story got out and he could get into trouble with his bishop.

Despite these reassurances the gardai in Kilkenny decided to investigate further and found that the priest had more to hide. The young man was taken into custody and during questioning revealed that the priest had abused him and a number of other boys over the previous 10 years.

The man has pleaded guilty at Kilkenny Circuit Court to sexual abuse. He is now in the care of the South Eastern Health Board.

In June 1994 the priest asked the Bishop of Ossory, Dr Laurence Forristal, to relieve him of his duties as parish priest. Just before Christmas a file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions. However, early in the new year the file was reopened and the investigation expanded with gardai from headquarters in Dublin assisting the Kilkenny officers.

A new file was submitted to the DPP in June 1995. The book of evidence was served on the priest in July. In September he was returned for trial to Kilkenny Circuit Court. The case was transferred to Dublin Circuit Criminal "Court following an application by the priest's solicitor.

The charges included buggery, attempted buggery, sexual assault and indecent assault. All the victims were under age at the time of the offences. Around 30 charges were in the file.

THE priest was born into a farming family of nine in Co Kilkenny. He was ordained in 1970. A year later he was appointed curate in a parish. He remained there for 11 years. While there he was involved in setting up homes for the handicapped and the elderly and also in schemes to build houses for people in the locality.

People there were apparently aware of his homosexual tendencies but thought they were held in check and did not present any real problems.

In the early 1980s the priest spent some years abroad on the missions. When he returned to Ireland he was accompanied by a boy, who has since returned home.

In the mid 1980s he was appointed curate in another parish. Then he became the youngest parish priest in the diocese of Ossory.

Initially, he denied all charges to gardai. It was only after agreeing to take part in a programme for paedophiles run by a psychologist, Ms Suzanne Jenkins, formerly of the Gracewell Clinic in Birmingham, that he admitted his actions. Ms Jenkins said paedophilia was not a sickness that could be cured but something that needed to be kept under control.

But one of his victims told the court that his admissions brought little comfort. "He thinks that by coming here he has put everything right, but he should never have started."