The victim's aunt spoke to Mary Wilson on RTÉ's 'Drivetime':

"She's very traumatised. I spoke to her this morning. She had to come off the phone. She's not too well at all. We're actually very worried for her at the moment. The most upsetting thing for her is everywhere she goes there is the media, newspapers, the people of Listowel town, people from Danny's side talking on the radio. It has torn her apart, basically being accused she's a liar. People have come up to her and said, 'How dare you do this to Danny Foley?' things like that.

"I never realised there was so much nastiness in the world until we saw it head-on. She had three people, three people she knew, come up to her and say things. She didn't know what to do, she just stood there and cried. She rang her mother and she had to collect her. She has basically said she's sorry she came forward. I have said to her, 'Never feel sorry for coming forward and doing what was the right thing to do. You've saved someone else from going through the same thing and never look back.'

"Everything has hit her so hard. This hasn't just devastated her: we're a big family and it has affected us all… We've got justice but people won't give her breathing space. I pat her on the back for saying 'no means no'."

How does the family feel about Fr Seán Sheehy and others shaking Danny Foley's hand?

"They are a disgrace to Irish people and the people of Listowel. I could not look at that man with respect. My question to that priest is if you want to shake the hand of that man, you should have left your collar at home and gone as yourself and not as a priest."

Michelle O'Sullivan, the girlfriend of Danny Foley, spoke to 'Lunchtime with Eamon Keane' on Newstalk:

"He can hold his head high because people are here to support him and they believe in him and in my mind he has done nothing wrong and has nothing to hide. The Danny they know and love is not the monster that he's being portrayed as. They talk about the punishment fitting the crime. That doesn't appear to be the case here.

"I suppose all I can really say about that is the evidence that was presented in the case has obviously swayed the jury. I personally don't believe there was enough evidence to come back with a conviction. I certainly don't believe there was evidence to hand down the type of sentence that was handed down.

"In my opinion whatever was said by that girl was said to be gospel and everything that Danny said was rubbished and made out to be lies and I just don't believe that to be the case. The CCTV footage was hazy at best. The one part of the CCTV footage that was clear was the image from the back of the nightclub when they were leaving together and Danny had his arm around her shoulder and she had her arm around his waist.

"Danny is not disputing he was there and that he was with that girl and according to his story what happened was by consent and I believe if you're in a state of undress lying on tarmac with a very big man you're going to have cuts and bruises. I know in my heart that Danny Foley is not capable of the things he has been accused of.

"Danny had told me about the possibility there may be a court case and about the allegations that had been made against him from very early on in the relationship when I first met him. I sort of feel he didn't have to do that at that time because at that stage he really didn't know whether this was going to result in a court case or not and clearly I'm biased in favour of Danny because I know him, but I made a solemn promise to myself on the first day of the trial that if one piece of evidence was produced that could convince me that Danny was guilty of what he was accused of, that I would walk away, and that did not happen."

Tim Foley spoke to Newstalk's 'Breakfast Show' about his brother's conviction:

"It's been a really bad nightmare, to tell you the truth. I've never been inside a courthouse before, nor have any of my family or Danny.

"To make this clear, this was not a mob. It was family – close friends, men and women – not just a line of 50 men patting someone on the back who's been convicted of a crime. It was never meant as intimidation against anyone. We were not aware that the so-called victim was going to be present. If we had thought it would cause such an uproar... that it would affect the situation the way it has, they probably wouldn't have gone. The family has received tremendous support. These are people who turned up of their own accord.

"Danny has been considered a gentle giant, a big softie. He lives with our parents, elderly people, he looks after them. People know his character. He's never once had a complaint against him, never even a parking ticket. He rarely drinks. He's well known and liked throughout north Kerry.

"My family are a very strict family. We said at the start if there's any proof he has done wrong, he should serve what he had to serve. There was no clinical evidence. We are really distraught and upset. We never thought it would go this far. We stand over Danny. It will come down to the appeal now. If this lady is getting shunned, that is wrong."

Fr Seán Sheehy provided a character reference for Danny Foley and was among a group of 50 people who shook his hand in court after his conviction. He later stood down after Kerry bishop Bill Murphy disassociated himself from the priest's comments.

"I just wanted to support him for one thing and let him know he was not alone. I mean, it's a horrible situation to be in the dock as a prisoner, just sitting with his prison officers. From a purely pastoral standpoint I would do that with anybody.

"My Christian responsibility was to this person that I knew and to the person who is the object of what I call this extremely harsh sentence. I was actually sitting down when his mother came and asked if I would go up and just tell him hello. And I did. I have no idea who organised it but she was the one who invited me to come up."