Galway Rape Crisis Centre experienced a surge in calls from male victims of sexual violence and institutional abuse after a prominent Galway publican went public about being sexually abused by a Christian Brother as a child.

Paul Grealish, owner of the King’s Head in Galway City, last year waived his right to anonymity when his sex abuser – Tuam Christian Brother, Thomas Caulfield – was convicted in the Circuit Court of sexually abusing him in 1972.

Mr Grealish opened up about his experience of sexual abuse in interviews on RTÉ Prime Time and in the Connacht Tribune, which led to a flood of calls from men to GRCC’s counselling service.

“We don’t get a spike in calls when there are stories in the media (about sexual violence), with the one stark exception being the Paul Grealish case,” explained Deirdre Ronan, Clinical Director of Galway Rape Crisis Centre.

“We noticed that we had a huge spike in the number of men ringing us, and survivors of institutional abuse ringing us, after the Paul Grealish case.

“Paul waived his right to anonymity, and it was great that he did that. People saw his case and thought ‘that’s similar to mine’ but because he was a man and had sought support and sought justice, they felt they had permission to do that too,” she said.

Caption: Paul Grealish.

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