IRELAND
Irish Times
Patsy McGarry
Thu, Nov 12, 2015
And so ends one of the sorriest sagas in the abuse crisis which has engulfed the Catholic Church in Ireland. It first came to public notice with the jailing of Fr Brendan Smyth in 1994.
On March 29th 1975 Fr Seán Brady, later the Catholic primate, was asked by Bishop McKiernan to conduct a canonical inquiry into allegations of abuse against the Norbertine priest.
Fr Brady was then a 35-year-old canon lawyer and teacher at St Patrick’s College, Cavan, but he acted also as part-time secretary to Bishop McKiernan in the Kilmore diocese.
Shortly afterwards, Fr Brady and local canon lawyer Msgr Francis Donnelly, interviewed Brendan Boland in Dundalk. Also present was Fr McShane, who has since left the priesthood.
The latter was there as support for the teenager because his father was not allowed sit in as that was contrary to canon law procedures, despite the seriousness of the allegations that he was making.
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