Tuesday 21 June 2016

FATHER CHARLIE AGNEW - A PAEDOPHILE?

FATHER CHARLIE AGNEW - A PAEDOPHILE


GARRON TOWER

FATHER CHARLIE AGNEW was the bursar of Garron Tower boarding school for boys and later became the parish priest of the parish of St Michael The Archangel in Andersonstown, Belfast.


St Michaels, Belfast.
This Blog received the following contribution in the past few days:

"I came across this blog by chance in the last few days. 

Fifty five ears ago Father Agnew subjected me to genital fondling. To my mind he was a paedophile. 

I was a boarder in Garron Tower when he took me to his room for the abuse. I was not the only one to be brought to Charlies room.

To me it is no coincidence that the paedophile James Donaghy abused people when he was Charlie's curate. 

Surely the housekeeper say what was going on? Charlie Agnew was a paedophile! Even at this late stage I intend going to the proper authorities".

The main reason that I give credibility to this story is that a friend of mine had a very bad experience with Father Agnew in St. Michael's. 

My friend went to confession to Father Agnew and confessed that he had masturbated. After confession Father Agnew brought my then 17/18 year old friend over to the presbytery where he insisted he remove his jeans and underpants so that he could examine him to make sure that he had "done himself no harm" while masturbating. After the examination Father Agnew reassured my friend that all was well!

This was a very traumatic experience for my friend as he had also being abused as a child by a neighbour.

I have heard that when Charlie was bursar in Garron Tower he liked to punish boys by removing their trousers and spanking them on the bare bottom. I imagine that some fondling too place during these punish sessions. 

Garron Tower was a boarding school for boys and a number of the priests there engaged in the savage beating of those boys. 

Below are some of the comments I have found on other blogs about Garron Tower:

1. "People probably will not believe this next story that I am going to relate but it really did happen. It was your photo of the road down to the dormitories (with St Mary's on the left) that reminded me. To put it in some wierd context it must be noted that this was in 1977 and the troubles were at their worst. Fr O'Neill (aka Sheen the Dean) used to wonder around with an uncocked shotgun over his shoulder (yes a priest did used to behave like this) and there was an empty crisp (potato chips) bag lying just beside that black rubbish bin on the lawn on the left. I was standing just were the photo was taken and Sheen was just to the right of the bin. He took the shotgun from off his shoulder, cocked it and fired a round at the crisp bag.....needless to say the bag was obliterated. "Now on your way boyo"...... As Martin Sheen says at the end of Apocalypse Now  - The Horror"


2. "Father O'Neill - jeez he was a psycho. Some of the beatings he handed out had to be seen to be believed. I was there in the 70's and after one year I escaped to Ballymena academy. But to this day I still remember the awfulness of Garron Tower. I cannot recall one good things about it"


3. I too was a a border and yes it wasn't called The Tower for nothing. Worst and most traumatic experience of my life. I still have the nightmares...


4. "Some priests had very unhealthy relationships with boys. Most of us were confined to The Tower at the weekend. But some priests drove boys home to see their parents at the weekend.


One of my classmates - a certain priest's favourite actually spent the summer travelling Europe with the priest and no one even questioned it"


It seems to me that Garron Tower was a very unhealthy place.

The only information on sexual abuse in Garron Tower are the stories of Father Agnew's genital fondling.

But it is also obvious that some other priests engaged in emotional, mental and physical abuse and torture.

There are still priests alive who taught at Garron Tower. But as members of the Clerical Club I do not expect them to spill the beans.

Has Garron Tower ever being investigated?

Any abuse there should be exposed and if former pupils need help they should get it.

Recently, the Papal Nuncio recently visited The Tower, which is now called St Kilians's college:




Archbishop Brown was joined on altar by Bishop Noel Treanor, Fr Tim Bartlett (chairman of the Board of Governors) and a number of former students of Garron Tower including Frs David Delargy, Martin and Eugene O’Hagan (aka The Priests) and Fr Dermot McKay and Fr Darren Brennan from the Parish of Ballymena.

I think that people, even at this late stage should go to the police about any abuse they experienced.

They can do this by calling the PSNI and asking for the local Public Protection Unit - PPU.

HAS ANYONE OUT THERE A PICTURE OF CHARLIE AGNEW?


51 comments:

  1. While in Garron Tower Fr Charlie Agnew's nick name was The Rat! I cannot comment on the allegations made here.
    What I can report was that he had a strange companion called Pat Delargy who was called Pierrpoint by students at the Tower.( A reference to the Executioner in the Gilbert and Sullivan opera The Mikado) He was a strange looking fellow who had
    some learning difficulties and was resident at the college. He reported everything to Agnew leading to many pupils being punished severely ( hence Delargy's nickname).
    He spent a fair amount of time in the boys toilets mopping up. When Agnew left GT Pierrpoint went with him. A very weird setup.
    Carnlough Cahal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hanging around the boys toilets!!!

      Delete
    2. And with Agnew, it was always trousers and underpants down for the beatings!!

      Delete
  2. Can you help me please. You say the photo shows a number of priests at Mass in Garron Tower. Is the nuncio the third priest from the left or the fifth priest?
    Confused Carnlough

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The wee priest third from left is wee Timmy Bartlett who is dying for to be a bishop :-)

      Delete
  3. Apologies to some commentors. I deleted by mistake. Please re submit.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Par, re your question 17:09

    Delargy hung around the boys loos not Charlie Agnew!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. But why did the president and bursar ect allow this man to hang around the boys toilets?

      Delete
  5. Sorry but that priest with the collar is very reminiscent of Brendan Smith.... I do not wish to comment on the rest

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That priest is Dermot McKay. He was dean when I was there in the 90's. His nickname was Lurch. He was a bas***d. A good friend of Fr Jim Donaghy I am reliably informed.

      Delete
    2. Dear God....they are a crooked line up...nuff said!

      Delete
    3. He also looks like a young Father Jack Hackett from Father Ted

      Delete
  6. This is serious stuff. All I can tell you is my own experience of Fr Agnew. I was an altar boy at St Michaels Andytown from the age of 11 - 18 and was in almost daily contact with Fr Agnew and often would go into the house for tea with him. Never ever in all those years was there the slightest hint of anything untoward. Fr Agnew to my mind and experience was a saintly old duffer who reminded me of Pius X, to whom he had a great devotion and he introduced me to his life and example. Another thing I would say. The dead cannot defend themselves. Anyone can say anything about the dead. Who can defend him? Anyone can say what they like about the man. All I know is that I never for a second felt uncomfortable. Also I was very threat sensitive as a nasty Redemptorist had tried to "mount" me when as a ten year old boy my grandmother left me alone with the pest in the sacristy of Clonard. I threw him off my back and ran out. So I knew what these vile priests could be like. I share this only with you Pat to tell you that Fr Agnew was not what you accuse him off, at least to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And we respect what you say and your right to say it.

      Delete
  7. My knowledge can not be commented on but Garron Tower should have been investigated years ago

    ReplyDelete
  8. The young priest on the extreme left of the photo looks normal! A bit like a fish outta water lined up beside the others - who is he?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He is Darren Brennan who works in Ballymena. Apparently he ia a very good young priest.

      Delete
    2. He's quite a good looking guy - Darren Brennan. Not safe for him to be standing too close to any of the others in that picture!

      Delete
    3. There's a few in the picture would probably jump his bones alright - but I think he would definitely be safe with NT.

      Delete
    4. I'm not as sure about that as you are.

      Delete
    5. I'm not as sure about that as you are.

      Delete
  9. Another priest at Garron Tower who was fond of dishing our severe beatings was Fr Gerard McConville. If I remember right it was alleged he was removed off the staff after battering a boy and drawing blood. Dunno if he is still around.
    Carnlough Cahal

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cahal, he is still around. And strangely enough he was very kind to me when your namesake sacked me!

      Delete
    2. Cahal, he is still around. And strangely enough he was very kind to me when your namesake sacked me!

      Delete
  10. It is interesting that the picture has the Bishop; Timmy and the three singing amigo's in it - all hanging around the Papal Nuncio like slop buckets!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well the Papal Nuncio is like Santa - he can give out nice presents.

      Delete
    2. Well the Papal Nuncio is like Santa - he can give out nice presents.

      Delete
    3. Bartlett, even if his scheming to become a bishop succeeds and all his arse-licking over the years pays off, will never be a great Churchman. He will always be a self-serving, very limited and insincere, little man.

      Delete
  11. Reading about Garron Tower I ask myself when is someone going to open that can of worms known as St Malachy's College? 

    The reign of terror lasted from big Walter's era right through to the Ice Queen herself in 1983. 22 years of Robespierre-like summary "executions" by cane or beatings by fist!! 
    Heads bounced off lockers and students flogged after fainting in fear! 

    True! 

    ReplyDelete
  12. Another weirdo! Can we set up a register of "normal clerics"

    ReplyDelete
  13. He's certainly hot to trot!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Pat just because Gerry McConville was nice to you doesn't make him less of a sadist who beat children until they were bleeding! Try and separate your feelings about him and look upon his crimes objectively. I am surprised at you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I fully understand that. In fact when Gerry was in St Mary's he was famous for being very nasty to people in confession.

      I believe he was sadistic.

      But I cannot deny and he did an act of kindness to me.

      Delete
  15. I see Timmy is Chair of the BOG - does he ever do what he was ordained for or does he do cushy jobs and lick arse all day?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In a word, Anonymous at 21:05 on June 22 - NO! He is a desperate climber, driven by an all-consuming ambition.

      Delete
  16. a victim who still has faith in the Church23 June 2016 at 08:30

    There have been too many vile priests throughout the Catholic Church that have done things to parishoners that unfortunately now cannot be dealt with as they have passed on. Another nasty piece of work to add to your list was Father Vincent McKinley who served in many parishes and i have no doubt was a weapon of mass destruction throughout each one.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Why does the Catholic Church push for the abolition of selection and exams which take the place of the 11+ in the North,thus enabling a form of comprehensive education but then in the South, have the most expensive private schools with fees between 5800 euros (Gonzaga College) and €16,800 per annum (2011/2012) for Clongowes Wood college? Do they push a similar policy in the south, are they winding their private schools down so as to enable the same opportunity for all they promote in the North?

    ReplyDelete
  18. I was a boarder at the tower from 1962 to 1964 approximately.During my time there I never heard any talk or rumour of any of the priests sexually abusing any of the pupils.There was plenty of physical beatings administered by some of the priests.Two of them were particularly nasty.Father McConville(nicknamed " the beak " because of his large hooked nose)and Father Mchugh(nicknamed "sticky" because of his rasping,grating voice) were real cruel bastards.There was also a brute of a lay teacher,Mr.Merrick,who was Scottish,nicknamed "Jock",and taught French.He lived in a cottage on the coast road below Garron Point.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I can remember Father McConville administering beatings to me. His speciality was when you held your hand out to be beaten with a ruler he would deliberately miss your fingertips on the way down and bring the ruler sharply upwards to catch your fingernails.Another monster was Father Butch Brady who held my chin with one hand and slapped my face with his other hand with all his might. My crime?. Turning round at my desk in the study hall. I left the study hall with blood oozing from my face and no remorse from Brady. Absolute monsters who abused children while in a position of trust and should have been thrown in jail.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I remember Fr O'Neil aka Sheen. I watched him continuously slap one of the borders across the face until the crying victim admitted to something he hadn't done. I had nightmares about Sheen for many years after leaving the Tower.It is disgusting to think this was a man of God. Is he still alive?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Was a boarder from 1966 to 73. Had the pleasure of Agnew ( I will not give him the honorary title of father- I can think of a more appt title). However during my years at the Tower( genuinely some of the happiest days of my life)I never heard of any rumours of sexual abuse involving any priest or lay teacher. However there were priests and lay teachers who appeared to enjoy the application of corporal punishment especially in my early years and Agnew was one of those. There were others but O'Neill aka chrome dome though scary was to my mind fair and discriminating in the use of the strap. Personally the majority of the priests were fair, kind and considerate and I personally would like to put on record my thanks to them for helping me through my time there.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I was a boarder at Garron Tower in the mid sixties. My experience was that the majority of priests , apart from being social misfits,were sadists rather than paedophiles.The worst offenders were Agnew,Brady,McConville and Fitzpatrick.Not far behind was McGarry and Molloy.

    ReplyDelete
  23. C Derry again,
    Sorry I forgot to mention another brutal little sadist, Sticky McHugh. However he attempted to clean upn his act when due to be appointed president in 1966.He used his influence to get Brady and then Agnew removed followed about a year later by McConville.His hand was forced however by journalists in Ballymena and Larne getting interested in day boys stories about sadistic floggings in the dining room inflicted by McHugh and the oddball Paud McKavanagh within earshot of shocked female kitchen staff.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I remember the psycho called 'Sheen'. The scariest man I have met in my life. He punched some kid so hard for not answering his name loudly enough in role call that he was actually propelled over two pews in The Chapel. He probably became a priest so he could beat up young children without fear of prosecution. He used to carry his preferred implement of Torture everywhere which he called 'flipper'. It was essentially three thick bands of leather stitched together with a handle to avoid hand chaffing whilst inflicting floggings. I always wondered where he got it. There are only three possible answers as I see it:
    1. He made it himself - very sick
    2. There was a Catholic priest's shop somewhere selling them - even sicker
    3. He bought it in an S&M shop in Amsterdam or somewhere else on his travels - completely sick

    ReplyDelete
  25. Fr Macarton was the one that dragged me from a pew for talKing. Dragged by the hair then kicked and punched til I was out of the chapel then made to apologise for talKing and left in the sick bay the rest of the day with sore head and ribs. Absolutely disgrace to treat a child in such a manner .

    ReplyDelete
  26. Fr Patrick O'Neill was an uncle of mine. He is referred to as a psycho on this thread, well I'm not going to disagree with that. An utter control freak who backed it up with physical and psychological abuse. "Live your anger" was the crap he peddled, "do God's will" - which he decided for me. He was unchallenged by his family - I referred to him as "Don Corleone". His abuse caused me to leave home. Did he apologise to me? No. He was an evil, angry, intolerant, scary and truly vicious man; as far as I am concerned he is rotting in Hell.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I went to Garron Tower from 1969 to 1976 and boarded for 2 of those years. I was in Dunmaul and St Mary's. Over those years I can honestly say I saw or heard of nothing concerning sexual abuse carried out by anyone. I remember in St Mary's going to one of the priests rooms to watch football with some other lads but never seen anything out of order.
    However physical abuse was a different can of worms, widespread and severe. Worst in my experience was the Physics teacher a wee runt by the name of Mr Joe??? (Stumpy) Kerrigan. He was a short little fecker who kept a crate below his desk which he used to stand on as he jumped up to bring the edge of a wooden metre ruler down on my hand from the fingers upwards to the wrist. An absolutely hateful and spiteful wee man. He was found dead in his bed at the house he lived in at the Cut Rock. Was the best news I got in all my time at the tower. He was not on his own, many teachers had their own form of torture and seemed to enjoy dishing it out. None of them were ever brought to answer for anything they done. I witnessed and was often on the receiving end of Sean Doherty the Maths teacher walk up behind students at their desk and hit them as hard as he could with his knuckles on the back of their heads. I also remember a certain student turning round and punching him so hard he knocked him out. Karma at it's finest.
    Looking back on my time there I absolutely hated the system of teaching. The teachers had no interest in the needs of abilities of the children in their care. If you didn't fit into the click you were totally ignored as far as educational needs went.

    ReplyDelete
  28. "LET ALL THE POISON THAT LURKS IN THE MUD HATCH OUT"(Robert Graves)
    I have found the vivid images that spring through these chronicles of sadistic priestly criminal abuse to be heart- rending,some of the accounts bordering on breakdown territory ....."ruined my life" ........"most traumatic experience of my life" have compelled me to revisit the horror of it nearly half a century later. Whilst I can wholly empathise with these accounts and the need for the victims to give voice to their anger and hurt I feel the need to ventilate some issues that have not been adequitley addressed.
    CALL THINGS BY THEIR RIGHT NAMES
    Many of the contributions draw a distinction between sexual and physical abuse in a way which seemingly denigrates the severity of the emotional and psychological lifelong pain inflicted by the latter. Because the bullying and physical violence was rife and endemic in the culture of the abuse machine it is remembered by some as "corporal punishment" which robs the reality of the way it was practised of it's viciousness and cruelty,almost straying towards legitimacy. So the aberration is normalised in a way that is somewhat akin to STOCKHOLM SYNDROME in which the abuse victims identify with the perpetrators agenda and demands. The corporal punishment so glibly referred to constituted beatings which were physical violence as criminal then as now.
    SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN......to be continued.

    ReplyDelete
  29. SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN
    Mary McAlleese recently stated that the Catholic Church was the "global carrier of the virus of misogyny" but as we now know it also harboured the more devastating virus of child abuse. We are also aware that it was most virulent in the Land of Saints and Scholars. The Litany of the Saints might well be recomposed as the Litany of Crimes. The most insidious aspect in all of this was the cover-up on an unimaginable scale that leads to the highest echelons of the Vatican including the Papacy. An integral plank in this strategy was a sophisticated endeavour to silence the victims predicated on the idea that if the crimes could be buried deep enough and long enough like the mass graves of babies in Tuam,all would be well.
    Sure nobody would believe them anyway.
    This strategy began to seriously unravel when " BLESS ME FATHER FOR I HAVE SINNED " became "Bless Me Sinners For I Have Fathered". Clerical off-spring was not so easily disguised.A thread i detect in the previous comments is the mistaken belief because the abuses suffered were in the past that there is no avenues open to redress the wrongs. Yet in the south of Ireland all the tribunals and reports revealed cover-ups and callous disregard for child welfare which were in all cases historical.
    We now know where the bodies are buried!
    They uncovered decades of horror endured by children in the ostensible care of Catholic organisations.They heralded the Berlin Wall moment when the old order collapsed. These unconscionable revelations came about because the focus of the assault was not aimed at individual abusers but those in authority who were ultimately responsible i.e the hierarchy.
    Then and now it is the bishops who are being held accountable.

    Unbelievably in the north there has been no such Berlin Wall moment and the church has remained unscathed and unaccountable.I believe that it is not too late to initiate a class action against the diocese of Down and Connor which was responsible for the reign of terror so many of us experienced in the tower.I had the misfortune to be a pupil in the 50's under the reign of the arch abuser Tumelty who set the tone for the sadism to follow.
    The school motto was To Will and To Perform or more aptly To Will Children to Be Terrified and to Perform Acts of Cruel Abuse
    "Do not go where the path may lead;
    Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail"
    "BEEN THERE DONE THAT GOT THE BLAZER"
    For there's not another school like the grand old school that sits o'er the Sea of Moyle..........to be continued

    ReplyDelete