Nov

18

The God Squad

Filed Under The God Squad 

The God Squad is the first and only book I have written. It was first published in 1989 by Raven Arts Press and then sold on to Transworld publishers in London.

The God Squad is an autobiography and covers the first ten years in the life of a child. The fact that the child is me is somewhat un-important, the reality is that were “thousands of mes”.

I have often been asked why I wrote the book. There is no simple answer to this question. I had felt for a long time that what went on in the name of the care of children should be exposed. There are many people who believed that because a child was put into the care of a religious order, priests, brothers or nuns that he or she was safe and that they would be “taken care of”.

The truth was very different. I have little doubt that there were many people in Ireland who knew of the abuses being carried out on children but who decided that it was best to say nothing. Would anyone believe that a child placed in the care of nuns, priests or christian brothers by the courts of this land would ever speak out?

More importantly, would they have been believed? The chances are they wouldn’t. Ten years since the publication of “The God Squad” hundreds of cases of abuse of children in care have come to light. The silence is shattered. The fierce grip that the church once had on Irish society is nothing more than a tenuous link.

Trust has been broken and lives have been damaged – in some cases – beyond repair. I have taken some criticism for writing “The God Squad”. I was accused of “bringing about the “collapse of the Church in Ireland”.

It was never my intention to “wreck” the church. The Church by its own hand brought about its own demise. Writing “The God Squad” was at times painful for me. I relived the horrors of abuse. My motivation in writing it was to bring the truth to people.

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Comments

4 Responses to “The God Squad”

  1. Raj Khanna on November 23rd, 2009 18:20

    Dear Paddy

    I just wanted to say thank you for your incredible book. I’m not much of a reader but I was incredibly moved and saddened by what I read. Having recently had my first child I can’t even begin to imagine anyone putting a child through the kind of abuse and lonliness you had to endure, robbing you of your childhood.
    I was really happy to read that you found happiness with your wife and children and I hope you live a long and happy life with them. Hopefully that’ll go someway towards making up for the part of the life you lost.
    What you’ve achieved is incredible and you deserve all the success you get for all the people you’re helping now. People like you deserve all the good things that life can bring.
    I’d say God bless but I’m an atheist :-)
    Again, thank you.

    Raj

    p.s your ears aren’t THAT big :-)

  2. Paddy on November 24th, 2009 00:44

    Many thanks Raj from a fellow atheist!!! Paddy.

  3. Mary on March 3rd, 2010 21:10

    I have just watched your film and I have to say Paddy you have more Mental strength than a whole Army put together, And Must say what a handsome Man. I have read your book twice and now my Son is reading it again and my Granddaughter is waiting for her turn. I didn’t know about the march in Dublin would love to have been there. All the best.

  4. Paddy on March 4th, 2010 00:55

    Mary, you’ve given me a swelled head with your kind comments. Thank you so much. The march in Dublin will take place on the 24th of this month – you haven’t missed it. Best wishes. Paddy

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