Suggestion of sexual exploitation ‘distorted’

POET Cathal Ó Searcaigh has rejected his portrayal in a documentary suggesting that he sexually exploited teenage boys in Nepal as distorted and inaccurate.

The film shot two years ago reveals that boys aged 16 and older, whose education the Donegal poet had been supporting, had spent the night in his room and been sexually intimate with him.

The 51-year-old’s Irish language poetry has been a regular feature on the Leaving Certificate syllabus for many years and he is a member of the Arts Council’s elite artists group Aosdána.

While there are no allegations of abuse or illegal activities, film director Neasa Ní Chianáin said the issue was about misuse of power and sexual exploitation of those much poorer than their benefactor.

“It’s the whole thing if you give money to somebody, if you enable them in any way or if you act as a charity, you should not have any kind of sexual intimacy with that person,” she said.

The Rape Crisis Network Ireland said Irish people could more fully understand the kind of sexual exploitation perpetrated by the Irish abroad by watching the film.

“Irish citizens and residents continue the sexual exploitation of vulnerable young adults in relatively poorer countries, under the veil of kindness and acting as a generous benefactor.”

Ms Ní Chianáin defended her film Fairytale of Kathmandu on RTÉ Radio’s Liveline programme and revealed the project started out with the intention of highlighting Mr Ó Searcaigh’s charitable work in Nepal. But her concerns that young men and teenagers were spending the night in his hotel room led her to change the focus and confront him with the allegations on camera.

The film was screened in Amsterdam last November and is due to be shown this month in the Dublin Film Festival, and on RTÉ One television on March 13.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Ó Searcaigh expressed concern its portrayal of him was distorted, and very damaging to his reputation as, he claimed, it seeks to portray one aspect of his life in Nepal in a very salacious manner.

“The veiled suggestion that I exploited young men for my own sexual gratification is not true. The film depicts me in a negative light, which is simply not accurate,” he said.

“The filmmakers have very deliberately chosen to depict me in a manipulative and exploitative manner, which I not only resent but which has hurt me deeply. I feel very hurt by the manner in which Neasa Ní Chianáin has feigned friendship in order to further her own commercial interests.”