A public hearing of the investigation committee of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse had to be adjourned twice yesterday when proceedings were repeatedly interrupted by former residents of St Joseph's industrial school at Ferryhouse near Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
The committee and commission chairman, Mr Justice Ryan, said that should disruptions continue, all such hearings would in future be in private.
The interruptions by Mr Michael O'Brien, a former Fianna Fáil councillor and mayor of Clonmel, who had been in St Joseph's in the 1940s, and Mr Robert Dempsey, a resident there in the 1970s, occurred as Father Joe O'Reilly, provincial of the Rosminian Institute of Charity in Ireland congregation, was giving evidence. The congregation had responsibility for St Joseph's until 2002.
He was challenged by Mr O'Brien from the public gallery, who disputed, emotionally, that children at St Joseph's had been to summer camps at Woodstown, Co Waterford, in the 1940s. Father O'Reilly had been providing a narration to photographs shown to the committee.
A furious Mr Dempsey joined in, challenging the absence from a videotape, Faces of Ferryhouse, of pictures of a named Rosminian Brother. Striding into the hearing area, Mr Dempsey, within inches of a future committee witness, Father Patrick Pierce, former manager at St Joseph's, demanded, "why did you put me in a mental institution?"
Mr Justice Ryan said Mr Dempsey's actions were "threatening" and that he was behaving "in an unacceptable manner". Mr Dempsey retorted that what was threatening was being a child, being buggered, and strip-searched in a cell.
Mr Justice Ryan adjourned proceedings for 15 minutes. On resumption, as Father O'Reilly explained, using a model, what Ferryhouse was like before being rebuilt, Mr Dempsey interrupted again and, entering the hearing area, pointed to the model while demanding he not be interrupted. Mr Justice Ryan adjourned proceedings until 2 p.m.
Over lunchtime Father O'Reilly and Father Pierce had discussions with Mr Dempsey and Mr O'Brien, at Father Pierce's instigation.
At 2 p.m. Mr Justice Ryan gave his decision that public hearings would continue, but unless conducted in a "dignified, proper and well-behaved manner" they could not continue. There were no further interruptions.
Speaking to the media at the end of the hearing, Ms Christine Buckley of the Aislinn centre in Dublin demanded that counsellors and victim impact personnel be present at hearings to assist former residents in coping with evidence.
Father O'Reilly, who expanded on what he told the committee last July, will continue today. Counsel for the committee, Mr Noel McMahon SC, said yesterday it was intended to hear evidence from 32 former residents at St Joseph's.