Gary O'Toole
Retired Irish Olympic swimmerWikipedia
20
MENTIONS
8
EPISODES
7
PODCASTS
Search complete. 20 mentions across 8 episodes found for "Gary O'Toole".
Oct 13, 2026
Joe MolloyHOST
It started when Chalky was nine and stopped when he was 14.
Joe MolloyHOST
Years later, in 1989, then aged 34, Chalky decided the secret was too much to carry any longer and confided in his fellow swimming champion, Gary O'Toole.
Joe MolloyHOST
The conversation famously happened on a long-distance flight to a swim meet in Australia, and it would set in motion a chain of events which eventually, belatedly, led to yesterday.
Joe MolloyHOST
Chalky was in court yesterday, and he joined us in studio a few hours afterwards to reflect on events.
Joe MolloyHOST
After a period of quiet, people started whispered conversations.
Joe MolloyHOST
An older gentleman beside me introduces himself.
Joe MolloyHOST
I'm Gary O'Toole's father, he said.
Joe MolloyHOST
I introduced myself and told him I'd spoken to Gary plenty down the years.
Joe MolloyHOST
An older gentleman beside me introduces himself.
Joe MolloyHOST
I'm Gary O'Toole's father, he said.
Joe MolloyHOST
I introduced myself and told him I'd spoken to Gary plenty down the years.
Joe MolloyHOST
He's in surgery today, said Gary's father, but he told me to text him.
30 MINS LATER
Joe MolloyHOST
Unthinkable for you, yeah.
Joe MolloyHOST
I sat down today, person beside me strikes up conversation.
Joe MolloyHOST
Gary O'Toole's father.
Chalkie WhiteGUEST
Ah.
Mark HorganGUEST
So I arrived there, and Chalky White was there, and got a big embrace from Chalky.
Mark HorganGUEST
You know, Gary O'Toole's dad was there, uh, Aiden, and Justine McCarthy, Johnny, obviously, and-
Eoin McDevittHOST
Johnny Waterson
Mark HorganGUEST
... yeah, and then Johnny Waterson, and then tons of family members of, um, survivors from, people from the '90s case, from people who were connected to this case, and it was a, kind of, a spectacular scene.
Mark HorganGUEST
So I arrived there, and Chalky White was there, and got a big embrace from Chalky.
Mark HorganGUEST
You know, Gary O'Toole's dad was there, uh, Aiden, and Justine McCarthy, Johnny, obviously, and-
Eoin McDevittHOST
Johnny Waterson
Mark HorganGUEST
... yeah, and then Johnny Waterson, and then tons of family members of, um, survivors from people from the '90s case, from people who were connected to this case, and it was a kind of a spectacular scene.
Ciaran CudahyHOST
So I mean, the very, very potted history is, is George Gibney was a s- a serious sex offender.
Ciaran CudahyHOST
We know that now, the '60s, '70s, '80s, a- and he almost was brought to justice in the mid-'90s because of people like Chalky, who spoke to Gary O'Toole, a famous Olympian, of course, a- and others.
Ciaran CudahyHOST
And, and, a, a c- a case was brought, and then there was a High Court order, uh, to, to prevent that trial going ahead, uh, based on the, the fairness of it.
Ciaran CudahyHOST
Uh, that decision never appealed either by the DPP.
8 MINS LATER
Chalky WhiteGUEST
You can't just suddenly decide today I'm going in, 'cause a lot goes with it.
Ciaran CudahyHOST
Um, y- you know the way you, you, you, sorry, and I, and I put it to Trish, that point you made about h- how hard it was when it came up because you were so convinced it would go nowhere.
Ciaran CudahyHOST
Uh, we- were there ever times you, you outright regretted that conversation you had with Gary O'Toole on that flight to Perth?
Chalky WhiteGUEST
Where the, at the ti- I regret having a-
Johnny WattersonGUEST
It took months to get it over the line.
Johnny WattersonGUEST
It involved talking to Gary O'Toole initially.
Johnny WattersonGUEST
Gary O'Toole was a generational swimmer, European silver medalist, probably the best known swimmer in Ireland at the time.
Johnny WattersonGUEST
I met him and we discussed the possibility of going to each of the victims and asking them if they would cooperate in a news story to name Gibney.
Johnny WattersonGUEST
And that's how it kicked off.
speaker_5SOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
But
Johnny WattersonGUEST
Gibney was a modern coach.
Johnny WattersonGUEST
He was the coach who produced Gary O'Toole.
Justine McCarthyGUEST
And I think the fact that only one, uh, former male swimmer, uh, has been involved in any of the investigations is significant.
Justine McCarthyGUEST
Um, Gary O'Toole, for instance, uh, has said that he believes that some male swimmers were also abused by Gibney.
Justine McCarthyGUEST
And, um, w- he, when he went from house to house asking former, um, swimming, um, contemporaries if Gibney had done any- anything to them, the men all said no, um, whereas, you know, many of the women said, yes, he did.
Matt CooperHOST
Indeed, Gary-
Justine McCarthyGUEST
Lorraine has died since, and her daughter, Louise, was in the court today, and it was an extremely difficult day for her.
Justine McCarthyGUEST
Other people have died as well, including people who campaigned so hard and so bravely to get this day of justice.
Justine McCarthyGUEST
Um, you mentioned Gary O'Toole.
Justine McCarthyGUEST
Gary's father, Aidan, was in court today, and, uh, Aidan w- uh, had his own, uh, he was a, a swim coach himself, and he continuously begged the swimming authorities at the time to do something about Gibney, and they didn't.
Dyane ConnorCORRESPONDENT
Some of the victims in court were, uh, came as a result of the podcast in 2020, Where is George Gibney? But this has gone way, way back to the 1970s and '80s, and Gibney was hailed as one of the, the best swimming coaches in the business and celebrated for his success of the Trojan Swimming Club.
Dyane ConnorCORRESPONDENT
And it was in late, later it came out when one victim confided in the Olympic swimmer, Gary O'Toole, about what had happened, and other swimmers then came forward and said they had been abused.
Dyane ConnorCORRESPONDENT
But, uh, dating back to 19, the early 1990s, Gibney was charged with 27 child sexual abuse charges, but he went to the courts and took a judicial review, preventing the DPP from prosecuting him on those charges because of the time that had elapsed.
Dyane ConnorCORRESPONDENT
And Gibney w- then left the country, going to Scotland, and then over to America.