When charitable work goes a step too far

When asked why he had sexual relationships with young boys, renowned Irish poet Cathal O’Searcaigh replied, “why not?”

The poet’s distinct lack of remorse, or indeed any sense of reality, was frighteningly evident in the RTE documentary Fairytales of Kathmandu.

Most of you will be familiar with his work, having appeared on the Leaving Cert syllabus for the past number of years. Most of you will also be aware of the fact that O’Searcaigh is gay.

In light of the revealing documentary, O’Searcaigh has claimed to be the victim of a media witch-hunt because of his sexuality. This could not be further from the truth. The poet’s sexual orientation is not what has outraged, appalled, and disgusted the Irish people. It is however, the fact that he has blatantly exploited young, innocent boys that has turned our stomachs so.

I tuned into the documentary not knowing what to expect, given the media circus that surrounded it, but the reasons for the public outrage became very clear as the programme unfolded. Fairytales of Kathmandu began as a project to highlight the charitable works of the poet in Nepal, but the focus of the documentary soon turned to what can only be described as the questionable relationships O’Searcaigh was having with the young natives he was “helping”.

I found the programme extremely diffi cult to watch, and grew increasingly uncomfortable with the way the poet’s relationships with the boys evolved. The joy on a young boy’s face to receive a bicycle was heart-warming, but this event was tainted by the disgusting exploitation he was suffering at the hands of this predator.

The boys featured in the documentary were 16 years of age, and in Nepal, were over the legal age of consent.

There is no legal issue in this debate. O’Searcaigh committed no crime. The issue here is a moral one. He used his position as an authoritative figure to take advantage of the boys, who knew no better.

Picture the scene - a cash-rich westerner gallops into the poverty-stricken Kathmandu on his white horse, waving rupees around like it’s nobody’s business, promising to improve their lives.

The behaviour shown in the programme is no less than that of a paedophile grooming and manipulating his victims. The fact is, that if O’Searcaigh were to have had these “loving relationships” in Ireland
with 16 year old boys - OR girls- he would be branded a paedophile, put in prison, and put on the register of sex offenders.

After watching the programme, it struck me that O’Searcaigh is not unlike Michael Jackson when he invited Martin Bashir to Neverland. Neither made any attempt to conceal their questionable activities, and both seemed genuinely shocked and surprised at the public reaction to the documentaries, not realising the enormity or seriousness of the situation.

An acclaimed poet, O’Searcaigh is an intelligent man, but his child-like demeanour and innocence raises questions of mental illness. Can a man who has sexual relationships with boys more than 30 years his junior, really be considered sane?