Former Terenure College student calls for personal apology from Carmelite order over sexual abuse

Paul Kennedy, a former Terenure College student who waived his right to anonymity when he gave his victim impact statement in the trial of John McClean, has repeated a call for a personal apology from the Carmelite order.

McClean, a former Terenure College teacher and rugby coach, will remain in prison until 2030 for the sexual crimes he committed against boys at the school.

He was sentenced to an additional four years in February, after pleading guilty to sexually abusing 22 boys at the south Dublin school on dates between 1971 and 1992. McClean, of Casimir Avenue, Harold’s Cross, Dublin, was already serving an 11-year sentence, with the final three years suspended, imposed in 2021 for abusing 23 pupils at the school.

He is regarded as one of the most prolific sex offenders to come before the courts in the history of the State, with more than 40 victims that gardaí are aware of.

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Mr Kennedy told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show that individual priests were not allowed to apologise.

“Let’s be very blunt about that, because that’s an admission of guilt, their moral compasses are now set by accountants and lawyers. I would love it if somebody from the Carmelites was able to say sorry to me.

“I’ve had one recent Carmelite sending a text just to say ‘very sad to hear what happened to you’ - that was totally genuine.”

Mr Kennedy said individual former teachers had also contacted him to say that what had happened to him was “very unsettling”. People who were not at fault were prepared to apologise, but not the order, he said.

Comments such as ‘if only we had known’ were very hurtful, he added.

“Oh for God’s sake, people knew, adults walked into the room while McClean was abusing children in Terenure College and they walked out. People in other schools knew. The fact that they’re trying to say ' if only we had known,’ was “the most hurtful thing.”

It would make a big difference to everybody if there was an apology, he said. “I would like a personal apology. It’s old fashioned manners, it’s the decent thing. There’s an awful lot of people they’d have to apologise to. You’re talking about hundreds.”

It had not been easy listening to testimonies in court. “Once you open the can of worms, it’s important to get to the bottom, clean it out, this society in 2023 is going to benefit from that,” he said.

Nobody will know how many victims there were, said Mr Kennedy, as many had locked away what happened to them.