In the 1980s, Waterford hid a terrible secret.
On Sunday mornings, the locals used to have a kick around. One of them was Bill Kenneally.
He used sport, particularly through coaching basketball, to lure and molest young teenage boys.
Although gardaí had been informed about the abuse by one boy’s father back in 1987, the truth lay hidden for more than 28 years.
It was not until 2016 that Kenneally, who was still working as an accountant at the time, finally faced justice.
He is currently serving almost 19 years in prison for the serious sexual abuse of 15 young boys between 1979 and 1990 following two criminal prosecutions.
This abuse was depraved, profound, protracted and sadistic in nature.
The young boys were stripped, handcuffed and photographed. The abuse would also be combined with physical beatings that Kenneally called punishments.
Some would be plied with alcohol and forced to watch pornography.
Many had their genitals tortured through Kenneally using chicken wire that he doubled up over an exercise bar.
It was not only neighbourhood children who Kenneally targeted.
He coached basketball locally and later nationally. He would drive boys to see international matches.
It was not until 2016 that Kenneally finally faced justice
Afterwards, he would often wave polaroids in his victims’ faces, taunting them that they would not be believed if they went to the authorities given his family connections.
Kenneally was part of what was once a powerful political dynasty in the southeast of the country.
His grandfather Willie Kenneally, uncle Billie Kenneally and cousin Brendan Kenneally were all Fianna Fáil TDs for Waterford.
Another one of his uncles, Monsignor John Shine, was a significant figure in the Catholic church in Waterford.
Senior gardaí spoke to Bill Kenneally in 1987 about allegations that he had indecently assaulted a 14-year-old boy.
However, one of his victims said he had told gardaí about Kenneally’s activities two years prior.
After the 1987 meeting with gardaí, Kenneally was sent to speak to his uncle, Monsignor Shine, who arranged for him to go to a doctor a number of times.
But it was not until 2012 that his house was searched by gardaí. He was arrested the following year.
Bill Kenneally was part of what was once a powerful political dynasty
Sean Cashman, who was the superintendent in charge at the time, outlined the details of that meeting between Kenneally and gardaí as part of a special report in 2016 for RTÉ’s Prime Time by then south east correspondent Damien Tiernan.
Mr Cashman said: “He [Kenneally] was a broken man. He was absolutely emotional. He was shaking like a leaf. He was in terrible shape.
“I thought he said, I know why I’m here, lads, and I’m glad to be here because I want to be looked after or words to that effect. Now he might have said, I want to be looked after, or I want to be treated.
“We did not have evidence to charge him… I have known a case where a man came into the station at one time and admitted murder that he hadn’t done.
Former garda superintendent Sean Cashman during his interview on Prime Time in 2016
“But he [Kenneally] did admit it, and I have to say, I knew he was the culprit. It wasn’t a question of his imagination, I knew he was the culprit.
“But, I didn’t have a statement from an injured party, and I know that people were talking about that this was a political family, and there was a cover.
“There was no cover up at all, and the irony of the of the whole situation really is that the best help I got to try and put him where he should have been, before the court, was from his uncle.”
“I got absolutely no help from any injured party,” added Mr Cashman, who rose to the rank of chief superintendent in Waterford before his retirement from the force.
However, Kenneally’s victims have long since called for answers as to whether collusion and his family’s political connections protected him from prosecution for many years before he was eventually convicted.
Kevin Keating (L) and Jason Clancy
They subsequently called for a Commission of Investigation to be set up, some waiving their right to anonymity in the process.
Those victims who went public included Jason Clancy, Kevin Keating, Gerry Mullane, Barry Murphy, Colin Power and Paul Walsh.
In 2018, the Commission of Investigation (Response to complaints of allegations of child sexual abuse made against Bill Kenneally and related matters) was established under Mr Justice Barry Hickson.
The purpose of the inquiry was to examine how State authorities, the Catholic clergy, politicians, sporting organisations and others dealt with allegations of sexual abuse made by young teenage boys against Kenneally from the 1980s onwards.
The commission heard over 5,000 pages of testimony during 10 separate modules. There were 31 separate books of documents disclosed to it.
Survivor Colin Power speaking to media outside court in 2018
In an unusual legal procedure, Kenneally was taken from prison to give his evidence to the commission in public two years ago.
His testimony shocked those present, both in its content and in the manner in which he presented it.
The convicted paedophile claimed that he had not done anything wrong, and his criminal actions were consensual.
Read more: Chuckling Kenneally sparks shock but victims believe his evidence is worth hearing
Kenneally’s cousin, Brendan Kenneally, who was a Fianna Fáil TD and senator between 1989 and 2011, also gave evidence to the commission.
He strongly denied that he had tried to keep the abuse quiet or sweep it under the carpet.
Mr Justice Michael White has been the sole member and chairperson of the Commission of Investigation since taking over from Mr Justice Hickson upon the latter’s retirement in 2021.
While Mr Justice White has also since retired from judicial office, he continued to engage with the work of the commission.
Prior to the commission’s final report being published on Tuesday, the former High Court judge had already described Kenneally’s criminal actions as one of the most serious cases of paedophilia ever to be uncovered in Ireland.
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