A former principal of two primary schools in west Clare was sentenced to three years in prison and fined a total of £28,500 at Ennis Circuit Court after he was convicted of 70 charges of sexual and indecent assault on 36 females over a 34-year period.
Noel Conway (70) was a principal at the two rural schools between 1958 and 1992 during which time he molested the children in his care daily while classes were in progress.
Conway, the son of a school teacher, pleaded guilty to 70 sample charges out of a total of 258 and, after hearing 12 witnesses, apologised for the hurt and trauma he had caused. He said he had no idea of the damage his assaults had caused.
Judge Sean O'Leary directed that Conway's name could be published by the media, but not his address. Because of Conway's age and health, he had to consider his life expectancy.
After hearing evidence that Conway had a 30 to 40 per cent chance of living for another five years, the judge said the three-year sentence would take up 60 per cent of his lifespan. He added that it would be grotesque for Conway to continue to enjoy his State pension, amounting to about £1,200 a month.
He ordered that the £28,800 fine be paid in monthly instalments of £1,200 over a 24-month period from August 31st. It was his view that the Exchequer should make some of that fine available to the victims to pay for counselling.
The court heard that Conway was a pillar of society and had been highly regarded by the parents of his victims.
"If only my parents were alive to see him being knocked off his pedestal today, because they held him in great esteem," one victim said.
Conway was involved in amateur dramatics, the local choir and Irish dancing. He was principal at one primary school from 1956 until 1975 when it closed. He became principal of another primary school later that year.
A complaint was first made to the Department of Education and Conway was forcibly retired in January 1995 by the Bishop of Killaloe, Dr William Walsh, months before he was officially due to do so.
Following a Garda investigation in 1998 Conway was arrested. Det Sgt Michael Moloney said more than 250 people were interviewed during the investigation which involved names provided by the witnesses them selves and then the roll books. Conway taught the third class and upwards in both of the two-teacher schools. His wife taught the younger-age classes.
For more than two hours, the court heard testimony from former pupils of the two schools, some of whom had travelled from the US to give evidence. They said the abuse took place while they were sitting in their desks, or when they were called to the front of the class.
They described having difficulty forming long-term relationships and showing affection, or having confidence in themselves. Many of them found that it was a relief when they went to secondary school, but others suffered academically.
One victim said Conway would put his arm around her neck while she was sitting in the classroom, so she was unable to move while he molested her. The abuse continued every day during the late 1970s, when he knew the victim's mother was dying, and afterwards. She said Conway destroyed her life and left her childhood memories as nightmares. He knew he had power over them, she said, and he had never apologised or shown any remorse.
Another of the witnesses said she suffered from bouts of anger and depression and found it hard to trust people. She was always a bit shy but Conway had made that worse. She felt guilty for never having spoken out.
A witness who travelled from the US to give evidence said she had emigrated there at the age of 16. Conway had told her parents she was unable to learn and the only place for her was America. "He denied my right to live and work in Ireland. He denied my children their heritage and culture. He denied me the right to be with my parents in their elderly years," she said.
Another witness said the day Conway was arrested she stopped being depressed. She said she could not bear to go to Mass after leaving primary school because he was a lay minister there. "For all those years he was such a high-up person in the community, involved in every single thing. Everybody thought he was great."