People who received his money were sworn to secrecy. Donations arrived as cashier's checks. If someone asked him for money, the answer was no.
At public events, Feeney brought his own photographer. The photographer pretended to take pictures, with no film in the camera.
From 1987, his money quietly flowed to the University of Limerick in Ireland. It went to Vietnam, Australia, Cuba and South Africa. The secret let him walk down the street unrecognized and kept his family safe.