The government’s scoping inquiry found almost 2,400 allegations of historical sexual abuse by hundreds of schools run by religious orders across Ireland.
A commission is set to investigate sexual abuse at Irish schools run by Catholic religious orders after a preliminary probe found almost 2,400 allegations of historical abuse, the government said.
Education Minister Norma Foley described the preliminary investigation’s report on Tuesday as a “harrowing document, containing some of the most appalling accounts of sexual abuse”.
The inquiry found there were 884 alleged abusers in 308 schools across all parts of the country between the years 1927 to 2013. More than half of the people accused of abuse are now dead.
Most of these allegations were reported by 42 orders which formerly ran schools or still do across Ireland, and 17 special schools also recorded 590 allegations involving 190 alleged abusers.
The scoping inquiry heard interviews or received written submissions from 149 survivors. Most of those who took part were men in their 50s and 60s.
The investigation, led by leading barrister Mary O’Toole, was handed to Foley in June, and the establishment of an inquiry into the abuse was one of several recommendations she made to the government.
In the 700-page report, she also recommended that the government ask religious orders to contribute to a redress scheme.
Foley praised the victims and survivors for their “extraordinary courage” in sharing their personal stories.
“I have been deeply moved by the courage, fortitude and openness of all those who have shared their experiences,” she said.
‘Childhood stopped when abuse started’
Those interviewed for the scoping inquiry described being molested, stripped and drugged in an atmosphere of fear and silence.
Many believed it “so pervasive that it could not possibly have gone unnoticed by other staff, and the members and leadership of the religious orders”.
Despite career success, many survivors said it came at the cost of personal relationships because they could not escape their childhood trauma.
They said the abuse often came with violence and took place in classrooms, dormitories and during extracurricular activities.
Participants said the Catholic Church’s influence made them feel they had no one to turn to, leading to long-term mental health issues and addictions.
“Many said that their childhood stopped the day the abuse started,” the report said.
Decades of abuse allegations
The government launched the inquiry in 2022 in response to the revelations of a public broadcaster RTÉ radio documentary that highlighted historic sexual abuse at Blackrock College, a school associated with many Irish rugby internationals, where 57 people were allegedly abused.
In November 2022, the Spiritan Congregation, which ran Blackrock College, apologised on behalf of the order to all victims.
Foley paid tribute to the late Mark Ryan, who, with his brother David, spoke out about his experience of being abused at the fee-paying school in Dublin in the 1970s.
“He is very much in our hearts today, and I am mindful that the first anniversary of his passing is approaching in the coming weeks,” she said.
The report is the latest in a series in recent years into allegations of abuse by priests and religious organisations, predominantly in Ireland’s dominant Catholic Church.
It also made allegations against the Jesuits, the Carmelite Fathers, the Christian Brothers, the Sisters of Mercy and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
