This week, survivors of abuse at Dunderrow National School in Co Cork spoke publicly for the first time about the abuse they endured as children – and called for redress for the harm done to them.
There’s something different about the Dunderrow women.
Their ordinariness belies the trauma they have carried since they were seven and eight years old.
Mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers; they are women who we pass on the street without a second glance.
Their childhoods were taken in a two-room State-run school in Dunderrow, Co Cork during the 1960s and early 1970s, where they were sexually abused by their teacher, Leo Hickey.
The garda statements – used in the criminal trial that convicted the former principal – make for harrowing reading.
In the decades that followed, the women tried to get on with their lives, but the residue of the abuse lurked in the background.
Distrust of men. Distrust of anyone caring for their children. Distrust of schools.
Following decades of silence, speaking publicly was their final attempt to be heard.
And they were nervous.
Watch: Dunderrow women call for redress over historical abuse in Co Cork school
Their treatment has led them to feel ignored and irrelevant all their lives; so, who was going to listen to them in 2026?
We met in a Co Cork hotel not more than a half an hour away from the building they had been abused as children.
One by one they set their fear aside and spoke about the abuse they suffered; they spoke about their anger with the Government and about the impact on their lives.
In one instance, a family member sat in for the interview to offer support.
Halfway through we paused to allow the interviewee gather herself, but realised the relative had broken down.
Are you ok? I asked. Through tears, they nodded and said they were happy to remain, but it was an indication of how the trauma had extended beyond the survivor into the wider family.
One person who made the process easier on the day was Louise O’Keeffe, who was there to support the women.
Louise O’Keeffe supported the women as they spoke publicly about the abuse they suffered
Sporting a new bob, she looked different from the woman who made headlines by challenging the State through the Irish courts and the European Court of Human Rights.
The transformation has offered her a level of anonymity in recent years – a welcome respite from the public attention that accompanied her legal battle.
While her appearance has changed, her resolve has not. She remains a determined, relentless advocate for survivors and was there to support her schoolmates.
She is angry with the Government, and hugely disappointed with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, whose political career has run almost in parallel with the women’s search for justice.
The Cork South Central TD was Minister for Education when the criminal case concluded, and by the time Ms O’Keeffe secured her landmark victory before the European Court of Human Rights in 2014, he had become leader of Fianna Fáil.
As Taoiseach, his Government has been asked by the Dunderrow women to implement the European judgment in full and ensure they get justice.
On Tuesday, when the story went public, he was asked about it in the Dáil.
Mr Martin cited previous ex-gratia schemes as evidence that the State had responded to the O’Keeffe judgment.
The Dunderrow women were excluded from the schemes because they did not meet the eligibility criteria – a distinction which should have been noted in the Taoiseach’s response.
Relying on the past ex-gratia schemes which have been criticised by human rights experts nationally and internationally demonstrates the State’s “ongoing belligerence” to fully comply with O’Keeffe, according to the women.
“It is incomprehensible how the Taoiseach could stand in the Dáil and say they have complied with O’Keeffe in the face of the Dunderrow women being excluded,” they said.
However, the Taoiseach did confirm that the Government would engage in a mediation process with the women.
This would happen in “a constructive way”, he said, adding that he wanted to see a resolution.
Leo Hickey was charged with historical sex offences in 1998
The women have said no approach has been made to their legal representative to date.
There is no doubt it has been a hugely challenging week for the Dunderrow women, but they are to be commended for their bravery.
They did not want to revisit the abuse, but did so with the quiet strength they have shown for decades.
Next month, they are expected to meet President Catherine Connolly privately in a gesture of solidarity.
In the meantime, as the summer recess approaches, there is concern that their story will conveniently fall away, and the Government will move on.
However, Ms O’Keeffe’s brave and unwavering commitment to justice, together with the bravery of the Dunderrow women, will ensure that justice for them and others excluded from redress will not be forgotten.
Read more
Women call for redress over historical abuse in Co Cork school
Dunderrow women recollect ‘systematic’ abuse in school
Abuse survivor Louise O’Keeffe’s fight for justice
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please visit rte.ie/helplines.