“We must make this a turning point” - Mayo TD delivers statement on Farrelly Report
IN a powerful and emotional address in the Dáil Chamber last week, Deputy Mayo Keira Keogh delivered an impactful and heartfelt response to the report of the Farrelly Commission, calling for urgent reform, lasting accountability, and, above all, justice for Grace - the woman at the centre of the long-standing case of institutional failure.
Speaking from her professional background and personal compassion, Deputy Keogh began her statement with a solemn reflection: “It strikes to the very heart of trust in our public institutions and paints a harrowing picture of systemic neglect and a fundamental failure of humanity."
Grace, who is now 40 and has profound intellectual disabilities, was placed in foster care under State oversight for 20 years, during which serious allegations of abuse were repeatedly raised and tragically ignored.
“Grace was failed - not in one isolated incident, but repeatedly,” Keogh declared. “And it’s troubling to think that the very people who failed her were those who had a legal, moral and ethical duty to protect her.”
As chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Children & Equality and a member of the Disability Committee, Deputy Keogh brought her 19 years of professional experience as a behavioural consultant to her contribution. Her words echoed throughout the chamber with clarity and purpose as she implored the House not to let the Farrelly Report become “another document that collects dust.”
She called the Commission’s findings a “profound and shameful failure,” citing patterns of “delay, deflection and denial” that allowed Grace’s suffering to continue for decades.
Her address highlighted the need for change, invoking a new era where “dignity, safety and accountability” are cornerstones of the State’s care systems.
In a deeply personal moment, Keogh reflected on her own work with children who are non-speaking. She noted the importance of recognising that non-verbal (or non-speaking as Keogh prefers to say) does not mean without communication, telling the story of a young boy she worked with, who was presumed to have profound cognitive delays. With intensive therapy and support from his parents he began to communicate through typing and technology and those around him soon realised he had a great understanding of space, maths and even Donald Trump. He was able to communicate complex thoughts and big feelings.
Non-speaking children often communicate through their sounds, gestures or behaviour and it is our duty to understand the message they are sending.
Grace is non-speaking, but “Grace was failed by those who did not listen to her in whatever way she was communicating,” she said. “No child should need their voice, or a device to explain how they have been failed.”
Welcoming the apologies issued by the HSE to both Grace and her mother, she stressed that regret must be followed by action. She also welcomed the government’s commitment to a new National Disability Strategy and called for the urgent implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including the establishment of a National Safeguarding Body.
With a firm call to action, she urged her colleagues and the wider public to be vigilant and courageous: “It is never easy to challenge wrongs in organisations or in society, but we must all constantly challenge our peers and colleagues when we are uncomfortable with what we see or hear, especially when it comes to our most vulnerable.”
Concluding her address, Deputy Keogh left no room for complacency: “We must make this a turning point which signals to every vulnerable person in this country that they will be heard, they will be believed, and they will be protected.”