A survivor of child sexual abuse at Rockwell College in Cashel is encouraging others to “come out” and tell their story.
Derek McCarthy has opened up about the “horrific” abuse and subsequent bullying and hazing he suffered at the local school 47 years ago.
After a visit to Cashel in 2018, which he said brought all the memories and changed his life, he decided to press criminal charges last year, as well as speaking openly about the repeated abuse.
Speaking to Tipp Today Derek said that after years of suppressing it, and suicide attempts he says he is stronger now and urged others to speak out :
“I am change human being I am a freed human being I feel this weight off my shoulders because I have come out and done this and it’s not only for me Fran, there are 100s of victims, and I know there are victims that I went to school with I hope that they find the same strength and the courage that I did…anybody else who knows anybody else who went through this keep pushing these people that they come out.”
Derek went on to tell Fran that despite speaking out he is still dealing with trauma from the bullying he suffered at the school when students heard what was going on:
“That was as scary if not more scarier, you know I dreaded going back because I never had a minutes peace so that can be very traumatic also. You know, you’re getting bullied, you’re getting beat up, you’re getting name called. God help those people if they are sitting there listening or they read my article. I understand that we were all young but it surely has to haunt them because they were brutal, talk about brutality, I would say 80 % , at least 80% of the students that were in my year were bullies.”
