Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to this most important debate. The Maíria Cahill case has been a catalyst for revealing details of sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the republican movement over many years both north and south of the Border. What is emerging in this debate and has been emerging over recent weeks is a catalogue of horrendous abuse of young and vulnerable people.

I represent a Border constituency that has been traumatised by the Troubles, with gruesome murders, grieving families and shattered communities. Unfortunately, that is the legacy of the those 35 years. I remember vividly the murder of Tom Oliver and visiting the bereaved family in the house. I remember the sorrow, the grief and the unbelievable impact it had on the family. The Paul Quinn murder took place not in County Louth but in County Monaghan, just across the Border from Armagh.

Having listened to the various contributions, as a public representative for County Louth I have one key question for the House.

Are sexual predators living in County Louth? Does Sinn Féin know who they are and where they live? Are people from the North who are a danger to children and others exiled in the county? The Garda needs to know who they are and where they live. My party leader in his contribution outlined a case in Louth where two young brothers were abused. Is this the tip of an iceberg? We need to know, as do the people of the north east.

The courage of Maíria Cahill in going public about her abuse has opened a debate about the issue. Many people who lived through the Troubles have suffered in silence and they will be encouraged by her coming forward. "Truth and reconciliation" is a phrase we hear from time to time in political debate regarding the Troubles. Truth and reconciliation is coming slowly to the North. It will take a long time to get to the truth of many of the incidents, north and south of the Border. Maíria Cahill has displayed a powerful sense of character in going public about her abuse and I am sure when historians reflect on her courage, they will see her very much as a heroine of this time and as a powerful representative of people who have been marginalised and abused and of women, in particular, who have suffered so grievously during the Troubles. I salute her. Will her courage be in vain? Can we get to the bottom of these cases and can justice be delivered in many of them? Can we ensure the cases of abuse that have emerged will never happen again?

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