I’ve given police names of 35 alleged abusers - Mairia Cahill
Abuse victim Mairia Cahill said that she has passed on the names of approximately 35 alleged abusers involved with the IRA to the gardai and to the PSNI.
Ms Cahill said that she warned that more victims will come forward who were allegedly subjected to an IRA kangaroo court after they were abused.
Her comments came as Paudie McGahon (40) spoke openly about his alleged rape by an IRA man when he was 17.
Separately Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said that although she does not know the identities of the individuals who allegedly subjected rape victim Paudie McGahon to a terrifying interrogation, she hopes that the garda investigation will have a positive outcome and will bring some level of closure.
“I hope, I really, really hope, that the garda investigation will be successful and will ensure that a person alleged to have carried out such a heinous and atrocious act against a 17-year-old boy faces the full rigour of the law,” she said on Newstalk.
“That is my position and Sinn Fein’s position. The fact that it were an alleged IRA volunteer is absolutely irrelevant, what’s relevant here is the allegation that a child was raped.”
Meanwhile Mairia Cahill said that she knew that more victims would come forward once she revealed that she was raped by a suspected senior IRA figure when she was 16.
“This happened, it happened on a wide scale. There are traumatised victims out there, they are going to feel compelled to come out into the spotlight and that is what’s happening,” she said on Today With Sean O’Rourke this morning.
“I think it could be stopped fairly easily by Sinn Fein admitting it but you just feel like you are saying it until you are blue in the face.”
She added that she has passed on the names of 34 to 35 alleged abusers to the gardai and the PSNI and urged Mary Lou McDonald to put pressure on the hierarchy of Sinn Fein to reveal all about the scandal.
“If it was me as a female, I would be raising merry hell at the minute in Sinn Fein. I would be urging people to come clean and cleanse themselves of the issue,” she said.
Ms McDonald told the Herald last night that she had no knowledge of Mr McGahon’s ordeal – although she did acknowledge in November that she had “anecdotal” evidence that abusers had been relocated.
The Dublin Central TD insisted her party’s “priority” is to protect victims of abuse.
Ms McDonald said last night that she does not know the identities of the individuals who allegedly subjected rape victim Paudie McGahon to a terrifying kangaroo court- style interrogation.
The Dublin Central TD insisted she had no knowledge of Mr McGahon’s ordeal – although she did acknowledge in November that she had “anecdotal” evidence that abusers had been relocated.
“The only place for these issues to be dealt through is the criminal justice system and other statutory agencies. Sinn Fein’s priority at all times has been to support victims of abuse and to ensure that they can access the justice system and support services,” Ms McDonald said
in a statement.
Ms McDonald made the remarks as Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Joan Burton both launched stinging attacks on Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams over his role in handling sex abuse allegations within the republican movement.
Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, Mr Kenny said Mr Adams has completely failed to properly address sex abuse allegations by Mr McGahon.
“If this happened in any other party there would be absolute mayhem. This matter has not been dealt with at all,” he told reporters.