Dubliner, Declan Roche has broken his silence on the abuse he endured at Celtic Boys Club.
Speaking to RTE, Roche explained that forty years ago at the age of 15, he moved to Glasgow to become a professional footballer, and within months he was sexually assaulted by a manager at Celtic Boys Club.
Celtic Boys Club was established in 1966 and was a club for young players to potentially progress to Celtic Football club.
Over many decades, several men associated with the Boys Club were convicted of sexually abusing young players, including founder Jim Torbett and former manager Frank Cairney, RTE have reported.
In recent years, survivors have also taken civil action against Celtic FC over abuse they experienced while involved with the Boys Club.
In 2025, the club reached settlements with 24 men who had pursued claims through group proceedings in Scotland, reports have confirmed.
Until recently, Declan was among those who brought claims anonymously, and has now decided to break his silence on his experience.
Declan stated that he was first assaulted by Frank Cairney, who was a manager at Celtic Boys Club at the time.
Speaking to RTE, Roche stated that despite the consistent abuse, he was determined to become a profesional footballer.
"I just didn't want to tell anybody. I didn't want to tell my family at the time because I was still wanting to be a football player. I still wanted to be what I set out to be," he confessed to the news outlet.
RTE confirmed that Cairney was jailed in 2019 after he was convicted for sexually abusing boys at the football club, dating back as far as 1980.
In 2023, Cairney was set to stand trial, but was found unfit due to health reasons.
In place of a trial, an examination of facts took place, which came to the decision that he indecently assaulted three players, including Declan, and there “were no grounds to acquit Cairney” in relation to the allegations.
