Woman undertakes not to repeat false abuse claims against priest

A Co Kerry woman who allegedly interrupted a funeral and a wedding rehearsal to make false accusations against a priest has again undertaken in the High Court to stop such behaviour.

Eileen Culloty, now living at Muckross Road, Killarney, undertook before the court three years ago not to repeat false allegations that Fr Liam O'Brien, now based in Sneem, had sexually abused her.

The priest says, “in the teeth of those undertakings”, she had since made allegations on at least five occasions.

It is alleged that, on December 29th, 2015, she approached a niece of Fr O’Brien at a wedding rehearsal in Killarney Cathedral, and accused the priest of abusing her.

On January 4th last, in the car park of the same church during a funeral, she approached two people and allegedly shouted and screamed words to the effect: “They all supported him, I was abused by that f...ing priest. All the f...ing priests supported him. It’s not over yet.”

On January 24th last, she approached a nephew of Fr O’Brien in Muckross Gardens, Killarney, and repeated her abuse allegations, it was claimed.

There was another incident in January in a car park in Killarney in which she approached a man and made similar allegations and a further incident in April 2015 in a toilet of a restaurant when she approached a woman and made allegations, the court was told.

In an affidavit, Fr O’Brien said he was shocked to learn of these “flagrant breaches” of the 2013 settlement in which he agreed not to seek costs against Ms Culloty and bore his own significant costs.

Despite a letter from his solicitor Robert Dore to Ms Culloty on February 15th last, he had been made aware there had been another incident four days later when she approached a teacher in Killarney and made the allegations again.

Following a renewal before the High Court of her 2013 undertaking not to repeat the untrue allegations, an application for a permanent injunction prohibiting her from making further defamatory statements, or from watching or besetting the priest, was adjourned until July.