Sisters recall childhood abuse by their uncle

Two sisters have said they pray for victims of sexual abuse in childhood to have the courage to speak out about their plight.

They had given evidence at Sligo Circuit Court about the heartbreak of their childhood when they were were sexually abused by an uncle. He was jailed for two years yesterday at Sligo Circuit Court.

One girl was only nine when she was abused while the other remembered the abuse starting some time after her First Communion.

Fiona (34) and Caroline Roddy (32) opted to waive their anonymity so their uncle, Michael John Cunningham (63), could be named for abuse that dated from 1987 to 1993. Judge Anthony Hunt ruled there was no restriction on reporting.

Cunningham pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting Fiona at the home she shared with her parents at Shannon Drive, Gurteen, between Christmas Day, 1987, and February 29th, 1988.

Victim impact reports
He admitted sexually assaulting Caroline at the home he shared with his mother – the girls' much-loved grandmother – between January 18th, 1991, and September 30th, 1993.

The women delivered victim impact reports of childhoods ruined by their uncle and subsequent trauma in their adult lives as a result of the abuse.

Fiona, who lives in Claremorris, told the court: “When I think back to my childhood, I don’t think of all the normal things like dolls, dressing up, playing with friends or Christmases.

“I think about what my uncle did to me, touching me, hurting me, making me feel dirty and telling me to keep secrets. He stole my childhood from me.”

She started getting flashbacks in her 20s. When she remembered fully what happened, it took over her whole life and she started drinking and taking drugs.

Caroline, who only learned in recent years what Fiona had endured, said she was violated when she was eight. Her suffering resulted in a family split.

“I could never visit Nanny in comfort as my uncle also lived there. I was very fond of Nanny and I realise I have missed out on so much as I was nervous about visiting. I could never enjoy family events and meetings as I found it hard to face him.”

Caroline, living in Tipperary, said she just dragged her way through school and fell into a relationship as a way to get out of Gurteen and away from her uncle. She now had a child from the relationship, which only lasted a couple of years.

Appeal to family
"I appeal to my family to have a think about what two young girls had to endure. I am not looking for sympathy, just for everyone to understand and come to terms with what happened."The court was told that Cunningham, who is part-sighted, had worked all his life on the family farm and cared for his mother.

His wife, Joan, told how after a visit to the shrine of Medjugorje, Cunningham told her of the abuse of his nieces, which had haunted him for years.

Cunningham told the court of his deep remorse. As he spoke, Fiona, sitting with Caroline and two friends, slowly shook her head.