Waterford Fianna Fáil councillor backs Bill Kenneally party probe

An official State apology is due to be made to the victims of Bill Kenneally on July 14.

A Waterford Fianna Fáil councillor has said the party, both locally and nationally, should be “super sensitive” about calls for a party investigation into linkages with paedophile Bill Kenneally.

Eamon Quinlan said he would be “very happy” to see Fianna Fáil set up an investigation — including one by an “independent third party” — to examine the actions of members and whether or not the structures of Fianna Fáil enabled Bill Kenneally’s continuing involvement in party activities.

The comments follow the publication last month of the report by the South-East Commission of Investigation into the serial paedophile.

The commission found that Bill Kenneally’s uncle and former Fianna Fáil TD, Billy Kenneally Sr, was informed in 1987 by then acting chief superintendent Sean Cashman of allegations that Bill Kenneally had sexually abused a boy.

The commission said Billy Kenneally did not inform the Fianna Fáil executive in charge of the Waterford constituency about the allegations.

As a result, Bill Kenneally was allowed to canvass for his cousin and then Fianna Fáil TD, Brendan Kenneally, and assisted as a tallyman at election counts up to 2011.

Brendan Kenneally told the commission he first learned of the abuse in 2001, confirmed the allegations with his father, but did not inform State agencies or the party.

Brendan Kenneally, who has said he did nothing wrong, resigned his membership of Fianna Fáil on the evening of the report's publication.

Judge Michael White noted that the Kenneally family was a “political dynasty” within the party, stretching back to the 1950s, and that the family was influential in wider Waterford society.

'Internal investigation'

In a lengthy interview on the Damien Tiernan Show on WLR, Mr Quinlan said the commission laid the failure to act at the door of the named Kenneally family members, and not Fianna Fáil, as the party had not been informed. But Mr Quinlan did support an internal investigation into the matter.

“I think the party, both locally and nationally, should be super sensitive to what happened,” he said. 

“If the victims would like to see an investigation within Fianna Fáil into these matters or bring in an independent third party entity to carry out an investigation, I think Fianna Fáil should acquiesce to that.

“Myself and the younger guys in Fianna Fáil, we’re very happy to see something like that happen because, at the end of the day, if I am working on behalf of Fianna Fáil and donate money through my wages to Fianna Fáil, I very much want to see anyone trying to use Fianna Fáil as a blanket for any wrong doing to be kicked out and kicked down the road.” 

An official State apology is due to be made to the victims of Bill Kenneally on July 14.

Kenneally died in prison the week after Judge White’s report was published. The 75-year-old was 10 years into a 19-year-sentence for the sexual abuse of 15 boys between 1979 and 1990.

• Cormac O'Keeffe is the Security Correspondent with the Irish Examiner.