Gareth O'Callaghan just posted this on facebook
Make of it what you will
Make of it what you will
The world that Philip Cairns felt so threatened by for many years is becoming much clearer in recent weeks. It is a world that continues to get smaller because the people who controlled it are all getting older and dying. Thanks to a number of individuals who have given me crucial information in recent days, we are slowly threading together a timeline of valuable insights as to what led up to Philip's disappearance.
There have been many stories and theories in the years that have passed since Philip vanished in October 1986 - as to what might have happened to him. But one fact I have always been sure of is that someone out there knows exactly what happened; and today we are much closer to finding out what really happened. Much of this is brand new information and I am grateful to those who have been brave enough to share it with me.
What follows here will no doubt be difficult to read if you have been abused by someone in the past. I need to say that at the outset because I am aware that there is information here that will deeply upset many people. Some will chose not to believe it; others will feel hurt and uncomfortable by memories it will bring up. Hopefully it might also help some individuals to heal from the pain of a past they have been terrified to talk about through the years.
There was once a time, not long ago, when the Catholic Church believed that it was more important to protect its paedophile priests than to safeguard the innocent children these predators preyed on. For decades the church had lived by its own rules and laws, and its priests remained untouchable. Because of their seeming invincibility, these priests were joined in their systematic rape and abuse of young children by other 'pillars' of society, namely gardai, teachers, swimming instructors, scout leaders, and many other individuals parents naturally assumed their young children were safe in the care of. Within a group of influential people there is guaranteed safety in numbers.
Some of these children died as a result of their abuse, while others 'disappeared' because - in deciding that they couldn't take anymore of the pain - they wanted to tell someone that their young lives were slowly being destroyed. Sadly the reason they disappeared was because they disclosed their abuse to the wrong person. I believe this is what happened to Philip Cairns.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Ireland was awash with paedophile rings. Each group was autonomous and anonymous; but each group would have known of other neighbouring rings. Secrecy and protection were the key words to the survival of these groups and their members, no matter what that protection entailed. If you had to kill to survive, then there often was no other option.
Evidence shows now that the archdiocese of Dublin was home to some of the most vile and violent paedophile rings in the country. Rathfarnham was the home of one of the most secretive and dangerous rings of predators that ever existed. No one on the outside would have suspected anything of the sort because of its upmarket status back then. Its leafy, wealthy appearance gave the impression of stability and contentment. It was perfect for the crimes that were committed against children whose lives were threatened if they dared to speak out. Unfortunately Philip was unique in that he was prepared to speak out against his abusers.
In 1971, Archbishop John Charles McQuaid appointed a priest called Patrick Tuohy to Ringsend church in Dublin. Tuohy would remain there until 1973 when he was appointed parish priest of Rathfarnham. As soon as Fr Tuohy had settled into life in his new parish he started to abuse young boys. Tuohy was a close friend of McQuaid - another low-profile paedophile - who died in April 1973. Tuohy's appointment to Rathfarnham was made by McQuaid's successor, Dermot Ryan.
Tuohy set up a newspaper recycling project and encouraged the young boys from the local national schools to get involved. He suggested they collect old newspapers from their neighbourhoods and bring them to a large recycling collector he had installed close to the paraochial house. He was supported by a number of local businessmen in the project - one of these was a local newsagent who is now dead. A barber has also been mentioned. Also a primary school teacher, a swimming instructor, and at least one garda (possibly three). The garda, who is now retired but still alive, was actively supporting (and protecting) and willingly participating in what was going on behind the scenes, namely the abuse of many of the young boys who had become involved in the newspaper recycling project.
It didn't just stop at the recycling business. Tuohy, with the help of the other abusers, used every opportunity he could get to groom young boys. Philip's abuse would have started around 1982, when he was nine years old. This is usually the age that paedophiles target young children as it's known as the modelling age when children look for a role model who will influence them and encourage them. Children trust their role models implicitly.