A woman who along with four of her siblings was sexually abused by their father has said that after many years "of silence, pain and unanswered questions," they have finally received justice.
Noel Farrell pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to a number of sample counts of sexual abuse against his four daughters and one son at various addresses in Co Sligo over two decades.
The 70-year-old has been jailed for 20 years.
The abuse of the children included rape, sexual assault and indecent assault. The five victims have waived their right to anonymity so their father could be named.
In a statement outside court, Jessica Farrell said that they "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," she said.
"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."
Ms Farrell said that they reached a point in their lives where "silence hurt more than speaking out".
She said: "We found strength in each other, we found the courage to confront what happened, to demand answers and to reclaim the pieces of ourselves that were stolen.
"Standing up was terrifying but it was the most powerful thing we have ever done."
In her statement, Ms Farrell said that the justice system finally recognised the truth today.
"This outcome does not erase our trauma, nothing ever could but it acknowledges our suffering, our bravery and the years we lost.
"For the first time the blame has been placed where it belongs on him, not us.
"Justice brings us something we were denied as children: validation, dignity and the beginning of real healing and a chance to rebuild our lives without carrying his actions in silence.
"We hope our story reminds other survivors that they are not alone, that their voices matter and that speaking out can lead to freedom even when it feels impossible.
"We are proud of eachother for standing strong and we are grateful for everyone who supported us through this long and difficult process.
"We will walk forward now with our heads held high. We walk forward knowing that we overcame something meant to destroy us. We walk forward as survivors, fighters and now finally as victors."
Watch: 'Silence hurt more than speaking out' - abuse survivor
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.
Farrell pleaded guilty to indecent assault against his eldest daughter Amanda between 1979 and 1981.
She told gardaí that her father sexually abused her for the first time when she was around seven years old.
She was later taken into care, then went to live with her grandmother after which the abuse ended.
She confronted her father in the pub when she was 18-years-old, asking why he did it and he replied "I don't know".
In her victim impact statement, Amanda said she believes what happened to her as a child had a huge impact on the course of her life.
She said she developed alcoholism and described how this affected her life.
She said she would encourage others to come forward, adding that her life is different now.
Farrell also pleaded guilty to indecent assault of his daughter Helen. She was aged between four and six-and-a-half when the abuse took place.
She told gardaí that the children would be locked in a bedroom when her parents left the house. There was a bucket left in the room for them to use.
She said they could be left for a day or two while their parents were out. She said she did not really understand what was happening.
She was taken into care when she was four or five and the abuse continued whenever he would take her for visits.
In her victim impact statement, Helen said the abuse had a "devastating and lasting impact", and took away her sense of safety and innocence.
She said the trauma has affected all aspects of her life and she became an alcoholic. She said she has worked hard to begin healing, but the effects of the abuse remain a part of her life.
Jessica Farrell told gardaí she was first abused when she was around three-and-half-years-old in an aunt's house.
Farrell pleaded guilty to indecent assault and rape of Jessica. She was taken into care when she was aged four.
When she was older, she asked Farrell about the abuse. He told her it was because her mother was always out drinking and she replied that was no excuse.
In her victim impact statement, Jessica Farrell said she was hurt by the person who was supposed to protect her the most.
She said she felt she was "the one taken away" when the truth came out, spent ten years in care and felt she was "the one being punished".
She described confronting Farrell and that over time, she saw a different side to her father and someone who was trying to change.
She said she forgave him, not because what he did could ever be excused, but because she needed to.
"The impact of your actions did not end years ago," she said, adding that she is still healing.
Farrell also pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting his son Christopher who said the abuse affected his mental health, relationships and education as he was unable to trust others.
He said he turned to addiction later in his teens to "try to block out the trauma".
Christopher Farrell spoke about feelings of shame and embarrassment about the abuse.
"I've learnt to be a man with no guidance, no love, no support from you", he said, adding that Farrell was supposed to protect him, but instead "all you taught me was pain".
Christopher Farrell said he was "going to do everything in my power" to be the man he was supposed to be and to move forward in his life.
Farrell pleaded guilty to three counts of raping another daughter. She went into care when she was three years old, but would often run away, the court heard.
She went to her mother's house when she was around 11 and Farrell opened the door - this was the first time she had ever met him.
She was aged 14 when Farrell sexually abused her for the first time while she was staying at her mother's house.
She said it was very sore and described Farrell abusing her in a similar manner on other occasions while she was living with her mother.
She stayed there for about one year, then went back into care. Farrell also raped her when she was 17.
A formal complaint was made to gardaí in 2019. Farrell was voluntarily interviewed in March 2022 and denied all the allegations against him.
In her victim impact statement she said she does not think her father will ever "understand or feel the way you affected my life".
"You convinced so many people that you never did anything to us," she said. "I was only a baby and you took my life away from me," she said.
She said the abuse impacted her mental health and that she developed anorexia.
Noel Farrell has been jailed for 20 years and will also be registered as a sex offender.
Additional reporting: Nuacht CCC
