The revelation comes after the West Belfast MP called on his brother Liam to give himself up to authorities to answer allegations of sexually abusing his daughter, Aine.
Subsequent to this appeal, Liam Adams walked into a Garda station in Sligo and said he was ready to answer questions. He was later allowed leave because a European arrest warrant for him had not been prepared by the PSNI.
The North police force had only prepared a warrant covering the Six Counties. An EU version could take several weeks to complete, according to reports.
Aine Tyrell has claimed that her father abused her for several years during her childhood.
In a statement, Adams said the family made the discovery about his father, Gerry Sr. in the 1990s and were still coming to terms with what had happened.
"This discovery and the abuse which preceded it have had a devastating impact on our entire family," he said.
"We live with the consequences every single day."
Adams, who also writes a monthly column for the Echo and has an op-ed in the current issue, said the family members who had been abused were still recovering from the trauma.
"Our family have debated for some time whether we should publicize our father's abusive behavior," he said.
"We do so now in the hope that, in time, this will assist the victims and survivors to come to terms with what happened and help them to move on from these dreadful events. All citizens need to be educated and children need to be listened to, empowered and protected."
Speaking in an interview with RTE, Adams said he was 50 when he found out about his father's abuse. He said he did not himself recall being a victim.
Said Adams: "I have pondered on this and brought myself back to the family home where the abuse took place. Tried to come back into childhood, back to bedrooms, back to other places where I know the abuse took place and I cannot find any recollection of being personally abused.
"At the same time, I am very mindful that sometimes flashbacks are caused by a smell, by a curtain, by a song, by some very mundane everyday event but as I sit here, I do not have any recollection of abuse."
The West Belfast MP said his father, who died six years ago, was in denial for many years about his actions.
"He was a man from a large family and yet he ended up dying a very lonely old man, when he should have been surrounded by loving family members," Adams said.
Adams said the police were not involved because his father's victims did not want to contact them.
He also said all of the abuse was "historic" and no children were at risk when the abuse was eventually revealed.
Gerry Adams's niece, Aine Tyrell, who has waived her right to anonymity, spoke publicly of her allegations against her father, Liam, on Ulster Television's "Insight" program.
