MONAGHAN (IRELAND)
Fermanagh Herald [Enniskillen, Northern Ireland]
June 6, 2025
By Mark McGoldrick
LOCAL priest Fr Brian D’Arcy recalls how he “trembled in fear” and felt “ashamed” after he was abused by a religious Brother during his childhood, as he reflects on his life on his 80th birthday.
The Bellanaleck cleric, who celebrated his 80th birthday on Sunday in Croke Park, while Fermanagh beat Wexford in the Tailteann Cup, has spoken about how his abuse ordeal impacted on his life.
“I became his lunchtime recreation. I often trembled in fear. I didn’t understand what happened to me, but I knew I was no longer an innocent boy from Bellanaleck,” he said in the ‘Irish Independent’.
“I should have told my parents, but I was too ashamed. I was hampered by needless guilt.
“When he finished with me, he dismissed me with a pat on the head. He went on to teach his class and I felt dirty, rotten and fearful.
“Even though I did nothing wrong, I knew my innocence and childhood were gone forever.”
Fr Brian, who is recognised as one of Ireland’s best-known priests, has also revealed that he is “shocked back to reality by vivid flashbacks” of the abuse that he suffered from the Brother.
“No matter how exhausted I am when I go to bed some nights, I cannot sleep if the abuse is brought to the surface. I will toss and turn and if I drift off, I will be shocked back to reality by vivid flashbacks,” he said.
“I will smell the sweat mingled with the stale cigarette stink off his breath. The heavy breathing and the horrible oversized eyes popping out of his big round head will be as visible as they always are when I try to outrun the memory.
“I will leave the bed and walk around the room in the dark. When I’m awake, I can defend myself. Sleep, on the other hand, makes me vulnerable to thoughts and feelings that torment me…”
m.mcgoldrick@fermanaghherald.com