A COMMISSION of inquiry will be set up to fully examine incidents of historical sexual abuse at religious schools across Ireland.
Minister for Education Norma Foley confirmed the inquiry’s establishment this week, following a recommendation made in the report of the scoping inquiry into allegations of abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders.
The report, which was released on September 3, revealed that the inquiry heard 2,395 allegations of historical sexual abuse, involving 884 alleged abusers in 308 schools across all parts of the country, between the years 1927 to 2013.
Most of these allegations have been reported from the records of some 42 religious orders who currently or previously ran schools in Ireland.
The report contains detailed accounts of sexual abuse, rape and sexual assault.
Minister Foley described it as a “harrowing document containing some of the most appalling accounts of sexual abuse”.
“The scale and horror of what people described in their interviews with the scoping inquiry is shocking, and the lasting impact on the lives of those survivors cannot be overstated,” she said.
“I have been deeply moved by the courage, fortitude and openness of all those who have shared their experiences.”
A survivor engagement process, operating within the inquiry, asked those who had experienced sexual abuse in religious day and boarding schools to come forward and share their views regarding an appropriate State response.
Participants reported experiences of sexual abuse in primary, post-primary and special schools, both public and private, run by religious orders across the country, the report reveals.
Among the victims were the late Mark Ryan and his brother David who spoke out about the abuse they experienced at Dublin’s Blackrock College in the 1970s.
Their testimony featured in an RTÉ radio documentary ‘Blackrock Boys’ which aired in 2022.
Ms Foley paid tribute to the brothers as she responded to the inquiry findings.
“I am thinking of all those who came forward today as part of the scoping inquiry process and indeed those who are not in a position to do so at this point in their lives,” she said.
“I wish to remember and acknowledge in particular the late Mark Ryan, who, with his brother David, was instrumental in the establishment of the scoping inquiry,” she added.
“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.”
Ms Foley went on to confirm that a commission of investigation would now be set up to examine the abuse in detail.
“I am announcing today that the government has accepted the principal recommendation of the report of the scoping inquiry, which is for the establishment of a Commission of Investigation,” she said.
“Historical sexual abuse is a profoundly serious matter and needs to be examined in detail,” she added.
“One of the most compelling aspects of the report is that older participants provided devastating accounts of how sexual abuse in childhood has affected their entire lives, from their schooldays through adolescence, early adulthood and right through to later years.
“I am pleased to note that the report states that current child protection measures in schools are robust and effective and I am conscious that the safety of children today is a matter of paramount concern to survivors and all of society.”
