Almost 2,400 allegations of sexual abuse in over 300 schools unearthed in harrowing report
A scoping inquiry into the "harrowing, horrific and heartbreaking" abuse has now called for a Commission of Investigation to be established with the possibility of a redress scheme for survivors to be examined
Almost 2,400 allegations of alleged sexual abuse against nearly 900 suspected abusers in over 300 schools have been unearthed during a harrowing investigation into alleged sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders.
A scoping inquiry into the "harrowing, horrific and heartbreaking" abuse has now called for a Commission of Investigation to be established with the possibility of a redress scheme for survivors to be examined.
However, Education Minister Norma Foley, who became emotional several times during a press conference on the report on Tuesday, would not give a commitment on whether religious orders would be asked to contribute to schemes.
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It is also believed that the total number of people alleged to have been abused in religious-run schools could be much higher and the publication of this report will result in a wave of new survivors coming forward.
The scoping inquiry, which interviewed 137 survivors and took 12 written submissions, heard the lives of those who had abuse inflicted on them were changed forever. Many were unable to go to their parents’ funerals or visit their graves because of the pain caused to them by the church.
In total, there were 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse against 884 alleged abusers in 308 schools in 22 counties. There are 73 religious orders that currently run or previously ran schools in Ireland and allegations have been made against 42 of these orders.
There were also 590 allegations against 190 abusers in 17 special schools, a statistic Minister Foley described as "heartbreaking".
Over 50 per cent of alleged abusers are known to be deceased, meaning there could be over 400 people who allegedly abused children still alive.
The report, based on survivors’ testimonies and information produced by religious orders, suggests there were 130 allegations of sexual abuse against 24 abusers in Willow Park School in Blackrock. There were also 55 allegations of abuse by 13 abusers in Blackrock College.
In the Brothers of Charity Special School Lota in Glanmire, Cork, there were 166 allegations against 50 alleged abusers. In Brothers of Charity Holy Family Special School in Renmore, Co Galway, 49 alleged abusers were linked to 119 allegations.
There were 64 allegations made concerning 11 alleged abusers in Dublin’s Belvedere College. In Terenure College, 89 allegations were made against 11 alleged abusers.
There have been previous convictions in relation to some of the abuse allegations in religious-run schools.
This includes John McClean, 79, a former rugby coach at Terenure College, who has been convicted of sexually abusing a total of 45 pupils over more than 20 years.
Fr Joseph Marmion had 65 complaints of physical and sexual abuse recorded against him during his time at Belvedere College, with 28 more at Crescent College in Limerick and Clongowes Wood College in Kildare.
In November 1999, James Kelly, then in his 70s and known as Brother Ambrose, was sentenced to 36 years at Cork Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to 18 counts of sexual assault on former Lota residents.
Speaking on Tuesday, Minister Foley said that the Government had accepted the Scoping Report’s recommendation to set up a Commission of Investigation.
Its recommendation for a redress scheme will be examined. She did not answer several questions about whether religious orders would be asked to contribute to any potential scheme.
She said: "There is a moral duty on everyone's part to play their part. I want to acknowledge, and [Senior Counsel] Mary O’Toole acknowledged herself, that she did receive significant cooperation from everyone, including religious orders and, of course, the survivors.
"There is an additional obligation on everyone to play their part."
When asked if the Government would sequester the assets of religious orders to pay for a redress scheme, Ms Foley once again said that redress options would be examined in future by a High Level Group.
Harrowing testimonies provided to the report by survivors detailed the abuse inflicted on them, both in private and in front of other children.
"Approximately a quarter of participants attended boarding schools and in their interviews with the Survivor Engagement team some reported being sexually abused as they lay in bed in their dormitory or cubicle," the report read.
"On one of his first nights, [one participant] witnessed a boy being raped by two priests in the dorm while the others were sleeping. The boy was beaten unconscious, and they took turns with the boy," it added.
Another participant said: "Not always me, but someone was abused every day. Everyone was abused two to three times a year."
Survivors also spoke on the lifelong impact the abuse had on them. Many described becoming alienated from religion and church-related services to the extent that some avoided attending a parent’s funeral or other family event, as they could not enter a church.
Many did not have children of their own as they feared not being able to protect them from abuse. Survivors reported addiction issues, marital breakdowns and mental health issues that led some to attempt to take their lives.
"I’ve never been okay. I can honestly say there’s not one single day I have been okay," one participant said.
Another said: "What would my life be like now if that hadn’t happened?"
The scoping inquiry, carried out by Senior Counsel Mary O’Toole, took over a year to be completed and was given to Minister Foley in June 2024.
The terms of reference for the scoping inquiry involved looking at all schools, both day and boarding schools, primary and post-primary, and boys and girls schools that are currently run or previously run by religious orders. It was not contained to fee-paying boy schools.
It asked religious orders for information about allegations, details about abusers and the category which they fell into. This included whether they were members of the clergy, teachers, students or others. The religious orders were asked to provide details of allegations received between 1927 and 2013, but most of the allegations related to the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
It is understood that it is "likely" that the number of those abused is higher than the information provided by the religious orders.
In 2022, the CSO carried out a sexual violence survey and asked people to name the location where the worst abuse they had experienced had taken place. The scoping inquiry asked the CSO for figures about those who were abused in schools.
It was suggested that 15,300 men and 26,000 women reported suffering some sort of sexual violence in school.
It is now recommended that the Commission of Investigation should examine allegations in all schools, including those not linked to religious orders.
The organisation One in Four provides services to adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. One in Four can be contacted by calling 01 662 4070 or by completing the form at www.oneinfour.ie/contact.
If you wish to report an allegation of sexual abuse you can contact your local Garda station, the Garda Sexual Crime Management Unit (01-6663430) or the Garda Child Sexual Abuse Reporting Line (1800 555 222), which is a confidential and free service available on a 24/7 basis. Alternatively, you can email GNPSB_SCMU@garda.ie
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