A Tipperary businessman and Toomevara hurler has opened up about his experience of childhood sexual abuse.
Tony Delaney recently told his story on the Late Late Show, recounting the grooming and sexual abuse that came when Sean Nolan, a senior player with Toomevara, started to coach him as a preteen.
Since his interview with Ryan Tubridy, Tony has been commended online for his bravery and those who went through a similar experience have begun reaching out to him to share their stories, some for the first time ever.
Tony says there is one particular trait that victims of childhood sexual abuse will have.
“One of the major traits of childhood sexual abuse is that you block out all of your past and childhood, so that was taken from me and I just blocked it out. I have no explanation. To this day, I’m still going to therapy, trying to bring it back to this child when your subconscious doesn’t want to let you.”
After keeping it a secret for most of his life, he finally got justice when Nolan was sentenced to 3 years in prison by Nenagh Circuit Criminal Court earlier this year, with the final year suspended.
Tony told Tipp Today that society plays a huge role in victims dealing with trauma in silence.
“I don’t know whether it was the shame; at 11 years of age, I didn’t know how I felt. But, also, I think what has happened in society, I probably didn’t know how to go and tell someone that this was happening. I don’t know if it was natural or unnatural at the time. I think society has a lot to blame for what went on in Ireland, not just 40 years ago, but again, up to this day, because it is still happening everywhere. It’s unbelievable the people that have come to me since the Late Late Show, and people just carry this. Some people think it brings shame on the family, and people have approached me telling me what’s happened to them, and some of them have been ostracized by their families.”
