Family of author dispute accounts of father’s abuse

THE family of a Dublin woman, whose autobiography is a best-seller in Ireland and Britain, yesterday publicly disputed allegations in the book that the author was beaten and abused by her father.

Five brothers and two sisters of Kathleen O’Beirne yesterday expressed hurt at what they claim are false allegations she has made about her family along with claims she suffered years of physical and sexual abuse while resident in a series of institutions run by religious orders.

“The anger and frustration we feel at seeing our father branded worldwide as a horrific abuser is indescribable,” said the author’s sister Margaret.

The autobiography, Kathy’s Story (published as Don’t Ever Tell in Britain) sold more than 350,000 copies worldwide to date.

However, her family called on the book’s publishers, Mainstream, to withdraw it from sale because of the controversy.

The O’Beirne family, who come from the Dublin suburb of Clondalkin, vehemently dispute allegations made by Kathleen, 50, in the book that she was beaten and abused by her father, Oliver, who died in the 1970s.

They also outlined a series of other claims which they state are inaccurate, including the central theme of Kathleen’s book that she was subjected to years of forced labour in Magdalene laundries.

A spokesperson for Mainstream said they remained happy with the accuracy of the book after having conducted their own investigation into Kathleen’s story.