Posted online: Mar 5th, 2009

By Sinéad Flanagan
editor@kildarepost.com

With over 1,000 children playing practically on his doorstep every day, it is a “small miracle” that no-one was attacked, says one mother in relation to the revelation that a paedophile lived beside three schools in Kildare until recently.
Last week, ex-garda sergeant Kieran O’Halloran (48) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to inciting women to ‘organise or knowingly facilitate the use of a child for the purpose of sexual exploitation’ in October 2005 and April 2006.
O’Halloran, who is now in garda custody awaiting sentencing, spent two years in prison in 2003 for a similar offence. The sex fend had been living in Liffey Court, Clane in an apartment that was a stones throw away from Scoil Bhrîde NS which has 420 girls enrolled, Scoil Phadråig NS, which as 439 boys enrolled and Scoil Mhuire which is the local secondary school.
Each day, children walked up and down by the front of the apartment block that was his home at lunchtime, in the morning on the way to school and in the evening when school finished. Not only this, but Clane GAA is situated just up from his home on the opposite side of the rod, where large numbers of juveniles play football on a regular basis.
Principal Deirdre Costello of Scoil Bhrîde said the school would be “dealing with the matter at board level. The safety of our pupils is paramount.”
While Principal of Scoil Phadråig Pat Costello said: “We are aware of the situation. It has been brought to the Board of Management and we will be taking it from there.”
However it is unclear as to whether more sex offenders may also live in the area. Throughout the county, there are at least 50 people on the sex offender’s list and the public will never be made aware of where these people are placed. Gardai say that each offender is closely monitored by the force.