{"id":507297,"date":"2026-06-19T04:04:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T04:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/507297\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T04:04:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T04:04:12","slug":"he-died-a-befitting-death-for-a-monster-bill-kenneally-victims-react-to-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/507297\/","title":{"rendered":"‘He died a befitting death for a monster’: Bill Kenneally victims react to death"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coming quickly on the heels of a ministerial apology to his victims, the death of paedophile Bill Kenneally brings mixed feelings for the men he abused<\/a> as young children in Waterford.<\/p>\n

As Kevin Keating and Jason Clancy sat down for a coffee together, they were fresh from a visit to Dublin on Tuesday to meet justice minister Jim O\u2019Callaghan, who apologised to them for the handling of the Kenneally case.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They had been looking ahead to an expected State apology next month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But in the midst of that, they awoke on Thursday to hear of a new chapter in the life of the man who had destroyed their childhoods\u00a0\u2014 he had died in the Midlands Prison less than 48 hours after news of the promised State apology emerged.<\/p>\n

The 75-year-old Kenneally had served 10 years of a 19-year sentence for the indecent assault of 15 boys in Waterford between 1979 and 1990.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, the report published last week following the South East Commission of Investigation into the handling of allegations against him found there were other statements made to garda\u00ed and evidence given to the commission about allegations from 1970 to 1993 which did not go to trial.<\/p>\n

The report added: \u201cDue to the timespan, different generations of boys were affected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn late 1987, knowledge of some of his activities became known in Waterford to two senior garda officers, and some other garda\u00ed, the principal of the largest secondary school De La Salle, a retired politician, a senior clergyman, a psychiatrist, and to some parents of victims.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The report concluded there had been a \u201cclear and serious dereliction of duty\u201d by garda\u00ed.<\/p>\n

It referenced an incident in 1987, where Kenneally \u201cleft Waterford Garda Station on December 30, 1987 having been interviewed by and made admissions to senior garda\u00ed, and continued the horrific abuse of a 12-year-old boy, the son of a good friend, who he had carefully groomed”.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That sexual abuse continued for that boy to adulthood.<\/p>\n

The wheels of justice did not begin to turn until a formal complaint was made to garda\u00ed in 2012 by Jason Clancy.<\/p>\n

Kenneally died in prison at around 3.30am on Thursday, after being in palliative care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of his legs had been amputated earlier this year due to illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was shocked when I woke up this morning to hear the news,\u201d said Mr Clancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is like the universe has sent us full closure, really.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Last week, we got closure and were vindicated with the findings of the commission, and I am so glad to be honest that he was alive to hear the results of the commission and the findings of the report.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never celebrate anyone\u2019s death or anything like that, but it just gives full closure.<\/p>\n

“It is like everything has come full circle now. I am not delighted, I am not sad\u00a0\u2014 I feel nothing but just closure.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The death comes with mixed feelings, though, for Mr Keating, another of his victims.<\/p>\n

He told the Irish Examiner: \u201cI would have much preferred him to live out the rest of his sentence, so there is no solace in his death. It is an end of a chapter, and everything seems to be coming to a close now, which is great.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a good day, another good day. There have been enough bad days, but having a feeling that chapters are closing, we are just about there to get on with our lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Simon O\u2019Toole, there are also complicated feelings around the death.<\/p>\n

\"BillBill Kenneally\u2019s victims, with solicitor Darragh Mackin, outside Leinster House in Dublin in June. Picture: Bairbre Holmes\/PA<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWe were all hoping it would not be til the day before he got out, but it is a lot in one week, between the justice minister apologising and saying there would be a State one and that laws would be changed, and then to get this news. We knew that he was bad.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe got to hear about it before he died. It is comforting \u2014 it would have been a shame if he died before it. He died a befitting death for a monster.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kenneally\u2019s reign of terror in Waterford was offset against his public persona of basketball coach, accountant, and a member of the well-known Kenneally Fianna F\u00e1il dynasty in Waterford.<\/p>\n

Mr O\u2019Toole added that Kenneally brought shame to his family, while institutions, including An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and Fianna F\u00e1il, have also been left impacted by the contents of the report published last week.<\/p>\n

Kenneally was well connected \u2014 his cousin Brendan was a TD from the 1980s to the 2000s, while his uncle Billy Kenneally served from 1965 to 1982. Kenneally\u2019s grandfather William was also a TD from 1952 to 1961. All were Fianna F\u00e1il TDs.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Kenneally\u2019s maternal uncle, Monsignor John Shine, was also prominent in Waterford, where he was a professor of canon law and moral theology at St John\u2019s College Seminary.<\/p>\n

Last week\u2019s report stated: \u201cIn Waterford in the 1970s and early 1980s, little or no information was emerging about Kenneally\u2019s behaviour, but by late 1987, many people including those in responsible positions were aware that he sexually abused children, but nothing appropriate was done to December 2012, 25 years later, when Jason Clancy made the first formal complaint by way of Garda statement.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

It also said: \u201cDuring the period of his activity, any young boy who came under his influence was at risk. As reflected in the sentence of 18 years and eight months imposed, and upheld on appeal, these were serious offences which have had a lifelong impact on the victims and their families.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“His crimes were cruel and exploitative. He was intelligent and manipulative and an expert at grooming children by developing trust and affection, but also using fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“He photographed many of the boys with a Polaroid camera, which could instantly develop photos of them in compromising positions. He retained possession of these photos. The possession of these photos was effective blackmail of the boys to preserve silence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mr O\u2019Callaghan has said he will consider the introduction of a criminal offence of misconduct in public office after retired High Court Judge Michael White raised the absence of such a law in last week\u2019s report.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Law Reform Commission is to be asked to examine the area.<\/p>\n

No death notice had been published for Kenneally on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

It is understood that his next of kin were informed of his death on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Coming quickly on the heels of a ministerial apology to his victims, the death of paedophile Bill Kenneally…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":507298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[54,61,60,43],"class_list":["post-507297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-courts","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}