Taoiseach Enda Kenny apologises to Louise O’Keeffe

Taoiseach Enda Kenny today apologised to abuse survivor Louise O’Keeffe.

The Taoiseach was speaking at the launch of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, at Dublin Castle.

The Taoiseach said:

“Might I just say that as a society we have learned much over the last number of decades and that together we now have a shared and a strong commitment to improving the lives of our children, and to ensuring their protection. Now, in 1973, I was a young teacher in a school called Carrakennedy halfway between Westport and Leenane. We didn’t have very much in the line of facilities or modern methods of being able to teach. We had a strong spirit and a sense of trust and belief in the children, we did teach and try to do the best we could for them from a locality where families struggled constantly to make ends meet.”

“In that same year and that same time Louise O’Keeffe was being abused in what was considered by people to be a safe place and a place of comfort. And I feel very strongly about this and about so many other cases and obviously the High Court of the day and the Supreme Court of the day made their judgments. The European Court of Human Rights has given its verdict in this regard. I think this was an example of a woman of extraordinary commitment over a long number of years to following through her case being taken before them. Sadly it’s one that’s indicative of a long litany of cases in Ireland where these and other events took place. That’s why in the past we’ve had to deal with some exceptionally sensitive cases that scar our memory and, for that reason, I just think that while this judgment is exceptionally complex and will be studied by government, I would like to say to Louise O’Keeffe that I apologise for what happened to her in the location where she was and for the horrendous experience that she had to go through.”

“So this provides us now with a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of those children and families who need our help as, after all, one of the fundamental issues of the mandate given through the democracy of the ballot box, and for my part and for my remit, we would like to see this agency, wish you the very best of luck, Nora and Gordon and all the 4,000 workers. You do carry an enormous responsibility of integrity and the future on your shoulders.”