The State has formally apologised to the survivors of convicted Waterford child abuser Bill Kenneally, acknowledging the failures that allowed his abuse to continue for years.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin delivered the apology in the Dáil on Tuesday, telling survivors the State had failed them and expressing regret for the suffering they endured.

The apology follows the publication last month of the Commission of Investigation report into how allegations against Kenneally were handled.

The report found there had been a ‘clear and serious dereliction of duty’ by senior members of An Garda Síochána after allegations of child sexual abuse against Kenneally emerged in 1987.

It concluded that opportunities to stop him were missed, allowing him to continue abusing children for years.

Bill Kenneally, a former basketball coach from Waterford, was convicted of sexually abusing boys in the city and county between 1979 and 1990. He was serving a 19-year prison sentence when he died last month.

Around 50 survivors and their family members attended Leinster House to witness the historic apology. The Government has said the apology recognises the failings of State institutions in responding to complaints made against Kenneally and the profound impact those failures had on survivors and their families.

The Taoiseach said he was ‘profoundly sorry’ that two former Fianna Fáil public representatives had failed to protect Bill Kenneally’s victims.

Micheál Martin said former TDs Billy Kenneally Senior and Brendan Kenneally had ‘failed in that duty to the victims of Bill Kenneally’ by not bringing the allegations into the public domain or reporting them to the relevant authorities.

He said they had ultimately ‘failed the victims by putting their own relative first.’

The Commission’s report made a number of recommendations aimed at strengthening child protection and ensuring allegations of abuse are dealt with appropriately in the future.