By Roy Garland

The various inquiries into the sexual abuse of boys at the Kincora Working Boys Hostel by William McGrath and a number of others, ignored the long history abuse at McGrath’sevangelical mission.  It is thought that more than a hundred boys and some women were abused there over the years.   The mission was named the Christian Fellowship Centre and Irish Emancipation Crusade (CFCIEC) and based at Faith House, which was located at various centres in Belfast from 1941 until the 1980s.  Abuse took place at various centres led by McGrath, who was officially Secretary but who controlled the mission.  The official aim was to take an evangelical gospel to the whole Irish people but only a tiny number of visits took place to the Republic.  According to a reliable source abuse also took place during these visits.

The whole issue of abuse was raised in the 1950s and efforts were made to stop this, but it continued.  A political sideeventually developed and became central by the early 1960s.   Warnings were given at Church and Mission Hall across Northern Ireland about the alleged designs of the Catholic Church to control Ireland and leave Protestants in chains. By late 1969 a ginger group named Tara became paramilitary group and was expected to grow to become an army capable of resisting enemies of Ulster.  By late 1973, the RUC’s DC Jim Cullen was asked to investigate the abuse. I met him thatNovember and he already knew some of this, but neededevidence, so I asked a young man, who had earlier agreed to bear witness before Orange Order leaders if they engaged in a serious inquiry. I now asked if he would speak with the RUC. To my surprise he said yes, and DC Jim Cullen met him at Donegall Pass and spoke freely and in detail about years of abuse.  Cullen took no notes, but this did not concern me, as Iassumed the “interview” was being recorded. It was not aformal interview he simply told his story. 

I was told by another RUC source that Donegall Pass RUC, was a hive of dubious activity, and that some RUC were Taramembers who had helped train others.  One man felt he was unable to continue at Donegall Pass because of his refusal toengage in illegal activity.   He said senior RUC Officers knewof this and condoned it.  The young man insisted I staythroughout the interview, so I heard his straight-forward account, which had begun when he was about 15 years old.  The RUC’s DC Jim Cullen was warned by other RUC there not to “dig too deeply” on McGrath.   While Chris Moore’s launched his book on Kincora in 1996, DC Jim Cullen told me an alarming story about fellow RUC taking him prisoner at the Station.   They had forgotten to search him, so he drew his gun, and they had to release him.  This took place at Donegall Pass where some RUC feared their questionable activitiescoming to light.  I was later shocked to be told that DC Cullenlater denied the interview had taken place, although I was present throughout and heard it all.  However, Cullen toldChris Moore around this time: 

I regarded it as an important issue because of the children involved.  The bottom line was that if it was true, the safety of children was paramount and the longer it went on the likelihood of tragedy was even greater.

But tragedy had already struck, and lives had been ruined, others damaged or the became suicidal since the mission was formed in 1941.  The fact that the abuse of young Christians took place at a Christian mission, made the grooming potentially more damaging and some found it impossible to believe.  Although DC Jim Cullen had denied that the interview had taken place, he was recorded by Chris Moore as follows:

Cullen was a little vague.  He said he thought this meeting had taken place at Garland’s house.  Garland had given Cullen this man’s name and had suggested he might be able to help with the investigation.  Cullen had asked to meet this person and so the meeting was arranged.  But he couldn’t tell me any more than Garland had already. Cullen said, “Otherwise something would have been done.”

DC Cullen knew the young witness would not likely to reveal something new but would reinforce the message that too much pain had already been inflicted on young people at a Christian mission.  Perhaps he needed evidence of recent abuse, but he wrongly claimed:

There was a difficulty in getting these people to stand up and face the McGrath situation. Understandably, they had new lives now.  Garland and this other fellow didn’t feel they could go through with it.

This was untrue because Cullen never asked either of us “to stand up and face McGrath” or to “go through with it” butCullen admitted to Chris Moore that the interview did takeplace, not at my home but at Donegall Pass RUC Station, where I assumed it was being recorded.   I did not give Cullen the young man’s name and Cullen never tried to persuade either of us to come forward as witnesses but instead he triedto dissuade us by claiming our evidence was “out-of-date” and he discouraged further action. This I suspect was because of threats and opposition coming from fellow RUC at the Station.  The young witness spoke openly and rejected McGrath’s claim to be counselling young people, as he had groomed and abused many since 1941 when his mission was set up or even before this.   

About a year or two later I asked the young witness if he would speak again with the RUC, but he refused, which I understood and admired his courage. He remained a good friend and appreciated what I had tried to do for him.   On the 4th March 1982 DC Cullen told me not to contact him at Donegall Pass by phone. He believed he was being monitored and was facing threats from within the RUC.   The reality of possibly hundreds being abused was never properly investigated.