A 67-year-old man has been sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for sexually assaulting seven young girls during the 1970s and 80s.
Judge Katherine Delahunt sentenced Bernard Delaney to five years in prison, with the last year suspended.
She said some of his victims had been as young as six and eight when the abuse occurred.
Judge Delahunt said the fact that some of the assaults took place in the presence of others showed he intended his victims to be humiliated.
During their victim impact statements, Delaney's victims told how their lives had been destroyed by the abuse.
Bernard Delaney, from west Dublin, pleaded guilty to 14 sample counts of indecent assault against the seven girls between 1974 and 1989.
With the consent of the six other victims, his daughter, Audrey Delaney Ward, waived her right to anonymity to speak out about what happened. She said she was glad her father was off the streets.
She said she wanted to ensure that victims of abuse know they are blameless, and she hoped that by speaking out she would give hope and strength to report abuse.
