A man who sexually abused five of his children, when they were between the ages of three and 17, has been sentenced to 20 years in jail.
The Central Criminal Court heard harrowing evidence of abuse and neglect including times the children had been left hungry and locked in a room and left to drink urine.
Noel Farrell, aged 70, from Rathedmond Estate, Sligo, initially faced 109 counts but pleaded guilty to three counts of rape against three of his daughters, and 19 counts of indecent assault and sexual assault relating to all five complainants, between 1979 and 1997 at various addresses in Co Sligo.
The five victims have waived their right to anonymity so their father could be named.
The court heard that Farrell and his late wife had very serious issues with alcohol.
The children were neglected and often hungry. They recalled being locked in a room for days and left to drink urine.
After the marriage broke down, Farrell went to England. Some of the children were taken into care at various stages.
Passing sentence Mr Justice Tony Hunt said it was one of the cases that would stand out in his memory because of the extreme cruelty and depravity.
He praised the siblings for showing "an extraordinary degree of fortitude" in the way they had faced up to the difficulties.
He said the description of their childhood "beggars belief" adding: "I want to say how impressive you are in facing what you had to face, you are a credit to yourselves and to each other. You can hold your head high."
'Silence, pain and unanswered questions'
In a statement outside court, Jessica Farrell said that after many years "of silence, pain and unanswered questions we finally received justice for the sexual abuse we endured as children at the hands of our father.
"No words can truly express the depth of pain, fear and confusion that shaped our childhoods. What happened stole parts of us we can never get back.
"For years we lived with silence forced upon us, separated from our home, placed into care and left feeling like we were the ones being punished for his actions.
"We grew up believing our voices didn't matter, that the truth would stay buried forever and that our childhood would remain defined by what he took from us.
"But we reached a point in our lives where silence hurt more than speaking out," she said.
Read more: Justice after years of silence and pain, says daughter as father jailed
At a sentence hearing last September, the five siblings spoke of the effects of the abuse, including being taken into care and the effect on their mental health and relationships.
The judge said any sentence could not change the past but at least for the future, the process had delivered official vindication for the siblings.
A GP report was provided to the court. Farrell has a significant history of alcoholism and has been sober for several years. Defence counsel said her instructions are to apologise to each victim and that Farrell accepts and acknowledges the "profound consequences" of his actions.
She noted that her client's last offence was in 1997 and that he has been in custody since early November.
Farrell will also be registered as a sex offender.
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Additional reporting: CCC Nuacht
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