‘Blackrock Boys’ brother calls for inquiry into abuse at fee-paying schools

One of two brothers abused by priests has called for an independent inquiry into child sex abuse at Willow Park School and Blackrock College in Dublin, as well as other fee-paying schools.

Mark Ryan, who took part in Documentary on One: Blackrock Boys programme, said “no man from Blackrock, Willow, or the other schools are asking for compensation from the State. They are asking for an inquiry. All papers to be handed over.”

In the documentary, broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 on November 6th, he and his brother David spoke of being sexually assaulted by priests at the college, one of a number of schools run by the Spiritan (formerly Holy Ghost) order.

More students abused at schools run by the Spiritans have since come forward.

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Mark Ryan added that “numbers and stats can be released after each institution has been investigated”. He called for “conclusions later, final consolidated report later again” with “Spiritans first, for obvious reasons”.

For his own part, at 61, he said, “It needs to be fast. I would like to see it published before I die.”

He also said he wants to know “how much the Spiritans spent defending their congregation, per abuser”. He said he would like to see a breakdown of the €5 million in settlements the Spiritans said they had paid to some of those who had been abused. “How much was spent on counselling, on safeguarding?” he asked.

As to what has emerged since the documentary was broadcast last week, he said he was “in total shock”.

David O’Gorman, who attended the Jesuit-run Belvedere College in Dublin from 1974 to 1982, said he was concerned that in commentary to date by politicians and members of the Government on the sexual abuse of boys at fee-paying schools, the emphasis appeared to be on those schools run by the Spiritan congregation.

“I’m very concerned that the Government is at it again, trying to limit, before it even starts, the scope of any potential inquiry,” he said. “All abuse victims should be equal, decisions about inquiries should not be based on a Top of the Pops basis.”

The Spiritans run some of the best known schools in Ireland, including Blackrock College and its junior school Willow Park, as well as St Michael’s on Ailesbury Road, St Mary’s in Rathmines and Templeogue College in Dublin, and Rockwell College in Co Tipperary.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Spiritans has confirmed that just two living members of the congregation face allegations of child sexual abuse.

Last week, the congregation said at least 233 men had made allegations of their abuse as children by 77 Spiritan priests, some of whom were serial abusers and had unchecked access to children during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

In a statement on Friday, Spiritan Provincial Fr Martin Kelly said it “has been, and is, the policy of the congregation to co-operate fully with the statutory authorities – Gardaí and Tusla [Child & Family Agency]. Now that it has been announced that the gardaí are carrying out an investigation, we will not comment on any particular accused person or victim/survivor.”

As leader of the Spiritans in Ireland, he apologised “sincerely to those who have been so grievously hurt, and assure victims/survivors that our congregation is doing all in its power to help those who have been harmed”.

Spiritan schools, he said, “have robust safeguarding policies and procedures in place for the protection of their current and future pupils. The Department of Education regularly carries out inspections of schools to ensure compliance with those policies.”

He added that “in collaboration with a representative group of survivors, for the past year and a half we have been working on a new, additional method of reaching out to victims/survivors which we plan to launch together in the near future”.

It has also emerged that of the 77 Spiritan priests accused to date of child sexual abuse, almost 30 faced allegations from nine countries abroad, while almost half of those faced allegations from North America, a Spiritan spokesman has said.

“Cases have been received from nine countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the USA,” he said. Numbers ranged “from a solitary case in each of four countries, single figures in each of four other countries, and some 40 cases in the USA. Almost 30 different priests are named, roughly half of them in North America,” the Spiritan spokesman said.