Synopsis
Though the home was dysfunctional and all the children suffered at the hands of their parents, Kenneth and Patrick were singled out for horrific abuse at the hands of their mother.
Starved, beaten and sent out to steal, their story is a catalogue of abuse. It also implicates the authorities, who had pages upon pages of reports on their situation, and yet never stepped in.
Fergus Finlay of Barnardos talked about the book in a recent Drivetime radio column (RTE1 radio), saying 'I haven't been able to sleep for the past few nights. I've been reading the story of Ken Doyle, his brother Patrick, and their mother Olive. The story is in a book, written by Ken and Patrick together, and only just published. It's a short book - you'll easy read it in a few sittings - and I guarantee you'll never forget it.'
Author
Kenneth & Patrick Doyle were born and raised in Tullamore, Co. Offaly. The story of the horrific abuse they suffered at the hands of their own mother was first revealed in the Sunday World newspaper. Kenneth now lives in the US and Patrick in the UK.
Doyle, 44, never married but worked for years in New Jersey painting the homes of area residents. Doyle is not working these days, finding himself disabled from the many injuries suffered when he was a child.
