Investigation into sexual abuse in schools should include probe into State's responsibility, survivor says
Louise O'Keeffe called on the State to release all files it holds that may be relevant to the commission examining the handling of allegations of sexual abuse in all schools.
Ms O'Keeffe took Ireland to the European Court of Human Rights claiming inhuman and degrading treatment while aged nine at Dunderrow National School in Co Cork in 1973.
Her former principal Leo Hickey was prosecuted in the 1990s for historic abuse against pupils. In 2014, the European court found that Ireland's system of detection and reporting of abuse was ineffective in the 1970s as it allowed more than 400 incidents of abuse over such a long period.
It said if adequate action had been taken in 1971 when the first complaint against Hickey was made, Ms O'Keeffe might have not been abused by him.
Speaking after education minister Helen McEntee announced the establishment of the commission, Ms O'Keefe said it was 'past time' that the investigation had been set up.
Speaking on RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland Ms O'Keefe said she was anxious that State bodies be investigated into how 'they did and did not handle claims.'
It was essential that files within the Department of Education be released as many of the older schools would have closed and the abusers would have died and many cases had not been handled correctly, she added.
Announcing the commission, Ms McEntee said more work is needed to decide how a redress scheme for victims of sexual abuse in schools is to progress. Ms O'Keefe pointed out that a redress scheme for survivors was already in place.
'The European Court found that the State had a responsibility for the sexual abuse of the children in the schools.' The religious orders must also be held accountable to the schools that the religious order ran, she said.
But the State cannot delay the redress to all pupils waiting for the religious orders to be sorted because of the fact that not all of the schools were run by religious orders. It's important that they do not sideline some schools while they're waiting for other schools.
Meanwhile, the special rapporteur on child protection, human rights lawyer Caoilfhionn Gallagher, welcomed the terms of reference of the Commission of Investigation.
"I hope some lessons are being learned from the horrendous experience that many survivors went through in other recent investigations, including of course in relation to the Grace report where they described the process itself being re-traumatising and the process itself being adversarial and not being trauma-informed.'
Ms Gallagher also welcomed the 'sampling' approach of the commission. This was more realistic, she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
6 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
10% rise in referral of young people to Probation Service
A new report from the Probation Service has highlighted an increase in the number of children and teenagers that the service is working with. According to the annual report, there were 609 referrals to the Probation Service last year for children aged 12 to 17, an increase of 10% on the previous year. The report says that this figure is the highest since 2015. The Probation Service assesses and manages offenders in the community, aiming to support rehabilitation and reduce offending. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the service's deputy director Fíona Ní Chinnéide said that while young people have the highest rates of reoffending, they also have "the highest capacity for positive change". "It's really important that we're focusing on the interventions and the entrenched agency work to divert them away from crime to ensure to plug them into schools, communities, networks. "How we do this is working with interagency projects such as Youth Joint Agency response to crime, investment in projects in the northeast inner city such as the Diamond Project, but always focused on turning them around," she said. The report says that last year, the Probation Service dealt with 17,150 people in the community, the highest level on record. The Probation Service also managed 1,723 Community Service Orders in 2024, up from 1,614 the previous year. The report says that the number of such orders last year resulted in 222,245 hours of community service nationwide, the equivalent of 856 years in prison. The Probation Service also said that it is training staff to deal with radicalised criminals engaged in violent extremism. However, Ms Ní Chinnéide said that makes up "a very, very small part of our work". "But it shows our evidence informed futured-focus direction, that we're working as part of the inter-agency work that we undertake." Ms Ní Chinnéide said the service works with people who have post-release supervision orders as part of their sentences. "The majority of people coming out to us are part-suspended sentences supervision orders," she said. "Among those cohorts are people who have been imprisoned for reasons relating to radicalisation, but again I can't emphasise it's such a small part of our work. "The important piece is working cross-agency with An Garda Síochána, with the Irish Prison Service, developing very important information sharing and just getting ahead of it, but it is a tiny part of our work," she said.
Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
China-EU relations are now 50 years old
Fifty years ago, in the midst of the Cold War, visionary leaders from China and Europe showed remarkable political courage and strategic foresight by breaking through the rigid bloc confrontations of the time. In 1975, they established diplomatic relations between China and the European Economic Community — a historic step that opened the door to a relationship grounded in dialogue, co-operation, and mutual benefit. Over the past five decades, the results of this partnership have been truly remarkable. The 'win-win' nature of China–EU relations is clearly evident. The European Community, originally composed of just nine member states, has grown into the 27-member EU — a deeply integrated and influential global actor. Meanwhile, China has emerged as the world's second-largest economy. Bilateral trade has surged from $2.4bn in 1975 to an impressive $785.8bn today, while mutual investment has expanded from virtually nothing to nearly $260bn. Chinese investment has created more than 270,000 jobs in the EU. Co-operation now extends across a wide array of fields, including economy and trade, science, education, and culture. China has unilaterally granted visa-free access to citizens of 24 EU member states, and nearly 600 flights connect China and Europe each week. In 2024 alone, more than 9.7m people travelled between the two regions. Looking back, the development of China–EU relations has not been without its challenges. As the Chinese saying goes, 'A friend in need is a friend indeed'. Despite the EU's internal ups and downs or shifts in the global landscape, China's approach to its relationship with the EU has remained consistent and steady. China has always supported European integration and respects the EU's pursuit of strategic autonomy — welcoming a strong, prosperous, and stable Europe. During the European debt and financial crises, China extended its support by expressing firm confidence — famously declaring that 'confidence is more precious than gold' — and by purchasing large amounts of eurozone bonds. China's capital inflows and booming trade with Europe played a constructive role in the region's economic rebound. Following the UK's decision to leave the EU, China maintained its confidence in European unity. It dismissed the noise of Euroscepticism and Brexit-related anxieties, trusting in a smooth transition between the EU and the UK, while continuing to advocate for the stable and healthy development of China–EU ties. During the covid-19 pandemic, China stood in solidarity with Europe. Despite facing domestic shortages and pressure, China overcame logistical and supply challenges to donate and export large volumes of medical supplies to the EU and its member states, including Ireland. Between March 29 and April 26, 2020, Aer Lingus operated 259 cargo flights between Dublin and Beijing, transporting over 4,000 tons of medical supplies from China — the largest freight operation in the airline's history. These five decades have shown that China and the EU have the capacity to support and elevate each other — and even offer hope to the wider world. China's development has never been intended to challenge or even 'screw' the EU. On the contrary, it has always sought to respect and address EU concerns. On the Ukraine crisis, China has clearly stated its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons and attacks on civilian nuclear facilities. It has called for preventing escalation and spillover of the conflict and emphasised Europe's rightful role in resolving the crisis. Like EU, China is committed to a political settlement and supports Europe to build a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security architecture — one that can ensure lasting peace and prevent a repeat of war. On matters of trade and economic co-operation, China has taken tangible steps to address EU concerns. The number of sectors restricted to foreign investment has been significantly reduced — from 190 to just 29 — while efforts to ensure national treatment for foreign investors are steadily advancing. These measures have provided European businesses with broader access to a more open and rules-based Chinese market. In response to supply-chain concerns, such as those involving rare earth elements, China has introduced a 'fast track' mechanism for European companies. To address worries about trade diversion, China has agreed to a monitoring mechanism and introduced consumer goods upgrade and equipment renewal policies aimed at expanding domestic demand — concrete signs of China's goodwill and commitment. Over the past five decades, China and Europe have built experience and goodwill that will help us counter uncertainty and future challenges. Denying past achievements clouds our vision for the future. Disregarding the efforts of past generations is tantamount to denying our own progress. As two major forces promoting multipolarity, two massive markets supporting globalisation, and two great civilisations championing diversity, China and Europe have every reason to choose openness and co-operation. If we do, the global tide toward economic integration will remain unbroken. Looking ahead, China hopes to work with EU to uphold the post-war international order and multilateral trading system, providing much-needed global stability and certainty. Together, we can shape an even more promising next 50 years for China–EU relations. Zhao Xiyuan is the Ambassador of China to Ireland.
Irish Examiner
14 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Conor McGregor declares intention to enter Irish presidential race
Former MMA fighter Conor McGregor has announced that he intends to seek to become the next president of Ireland — but wants to change how the nomination process works to enable him to do so. McGregor, who last week lost his appeal against a High Court jury's finding that he raped Nikita Hand, made the announcement on social media on Monday evening. Anyone who wishes to become president must secure nominations from at least 20 members of the Oireachtas or at least four local authorities. McGregor is alleging that this "presents a significant barrier to democratic participation". He claimed: "This system, while intended to ensure a degree of political influence among candidates, inadvertently restricts the direct voice of the Irish electorate. In light of this, I propose a petition advocating for a modification of the nomination process to allow my name be included on the ballot. In his post, McGregor said that citizens of Ireland should have the "unhindered right to determine the candidates who appear on the presidential ballot." He said he is therefore asking people to sign a petition to change the constitutional law. The current President, Michael D Higgins, was inaugurated for his second term on November 11, 2018. Therefore, the next presidential election is scheduled to take place on or up to 60 days before November 11, 2025. Two confirmed candidates so far There are just two confirmed candidates in this year's presidential race so far: Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness — a former European Commissioner and MEP — and left-wing Galway West Independent TD Catherine Connolly. Riverdance star Michael Flatley is also said to be interested in running and will seek a nomination, a court has heard. The choreographer's barrister made the announcement last month during a High Court case he has taken in relation to works carried out at his mansion in Co Cork, the Castlehyde. Meanwhile, Nikita Hand has lodged a new civil action against McGregor as well as a couple he intended to call to give evidence in his appeal, before he withdrew the application in what were described as "mysterious circumstances". Ms Hand is suing McGregor as well as Samantha O'Reilly and Steven Cummins for damages in an action filed last week. It is understood that she alleges they engaged in malicious abuse of the process of the court.
