Trish Kearney was nine when she first dreamed of being an Olympic swimmer. Haphazard and laid-back at school, she sought perfection in the pool. And she was good. Very good. She competed, won medals, and was so committed to training that she kept quiet about colds, sore throats, coughs, in case she wasn t allowed to swim. When she was 12 she joined a swimming club to further her dreams. There, she was coached by George Gibney, already a force in Irish swimming; a go-getter whose methods were getting results.
By then, Trish was training twice a day - at 5.15am and again in the evening - every day except Sundays, and was part of a talented group that included the later Olympic swimmer Gary O Toole.
Trish Kearney was just 13 and a promising swimmer when George Gibney, the internationally recognised coach, began to abuse her. The process of control, entrapment and sexual abuse carried on for years. Finally, she escaped him and moved on, somehow managing to suppress the horrific memories deep inside. Until one day, a letter from a fellow swimmer brought those memories back to the surface. Here, she recalls that time.
George Gibney
The real George Gibney, the one who abused dozens of children throughout the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, has been described as Irish sport’s most enduring villain. He was, and still is, the one that got away. The former Olympic coach fled the country in the 1990s after the Irish courts said he could not face trial because too much time had elapsed since the allegations of child abuse were made.
Gibney’s story is one that has floated in and out of the Irish national consciousness over the decades, with various documentaries and articles, and even one book, covering it. But while each of these brought the case to renewed media prominence for a time, it was the runaway success of a recent podcast series listened to by more than one million people that has catapulted Gibney and his heinous crimes back into the limelight. This time, some of those crimes might just stick.
Thirteen-year-old Patricia McCahill is standing on the diving block, focused on making the changes to her breaststroke that she has been working so hard on.
A special Bee Gees musical medley will be performed on the night.
The pair will discuss their established careers as musical royalty and why they have collaborated on a new album together.
A teaser for the episode shows Dolly singing a snippet from her hit song ‘Islands in the Stream’ where she changes the lyrics to suit the Irish audience.
Also appearing on the show is Eve Hewson, daughter of Bono and Ali Hewson, who will be speaking about her role in Netflix’s newest thriller ‘Behind Her Eyes.’
Eve will also be reminiscing on her childhood and revealing what it was like to grow up as Bono’s daughter in Ireland.