In 1997, Derry O'Rourke pleaded guilty to charges of sexual abuse against 11 young female swimmers, writes Liam Reid.
The case of Derry O'Rourke, and that involving another swimming coach, George Gibney, were at the centre of one of the biggest child abuse scandals in the State over the last 20 years. The controversy went to the heart of how voluntary organisations deal with abuse complaints.
It all began in the early 1990s, when allegations surfaced about both men. Gibney was charged in 1993, but the cases against him were dropped on the basis of delay and the lack of precision with which the charges were defined.
A few years later the scandal was exposed in the Sunday Tribune, when a number of Gibney's victims gave sworn statements to the paper. The former coach fled the country.
Allegations were also made against O'Rourke at the same time, and in 1997 he pleaded guilty to a series of charges of child sexual abuse against 11 young female swimmers, including carnal knowledge, indecent assault and sexual assault, between 1976 and 1992.
In February 1998 he was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison. He received a further four-year term in 2000.
Following his conviction, the then minister for sport, Dr Jim McDaid, ordered an inquiry into how the original complaints were handled by the Irish Amateur Swimming Association (IASA).
He also suspended State funding for the organisation pending the outcome of the inquiry by Dr Roderick H. Murphy SC.
The report, which seriously criticised failures within the IASA to protect children against the two abusers, made over 70 recommendations on child protection and structures in voluntary organisations to protect children from abuse. Published in June 1998, it also highlighted the lack of supervision of Gibney and O'Rourke by their swimming club committees.
Dr Murphy concluded: "In a sport dominated by standard times, there were inadequate standards for behaviour.
"No one seemed to question the merits of imposing objectives which set high standards for children in competition without having regard to their overall development."
The report added: "Where the joy of the swimmer is replaced by the gratification of an adult, it ceases to be a sport."
Many of the victims of both men were unhappy with the report, which failed to identify specific officials whom they believed "covered up" for both men and failed in their duty to have the coaches removed and reported to gardaí.
Representatives of the victims were also concerned about alleged inaccuracies in the report and felt that the scope of the inquiry was too limited.
The IASA was effectively replaced by a new organisation, Swim Ireland, which gave a commitment to implement the recommendations of the Murphy inquiry.
However, the organisation is still blighted by the controversy. In January, The Irish Times reported that Swim Ireland faced very heavy financial liabilities from victims of both men, who had lodged compensation claims in the High Court.
An internal audit by Deloitte & Touche highlighted "a plethora of legal cases" with potential outcomes which "range from reputational damage to the unknown cost outcomes".