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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Sean Murphy

Alleged Blackrock College sex abuse victims claim paedophile ring operated there

Alleged sex abuse victims at one of the country’s most exclusive schools have claimed a paedophile ring operated there.

The claims were made after two past pupils, Mark Ryan, 61, and his brother David, 58, revealed their nightmare ordeals on RTE radio. The Irish Mirror reported yesterday how 57 alleged victims made historical child sex abuse claims against clerics at Blackrock College in South Dublin.

Alleged victims recalled their experiences on RTE’s Liveline show, with some claiming that a paedophile ring operated within the religious Holy Ghost Order that founded the school. David said: “They knew what was going on, but they brushed it under the carpet.”

Read more: Former Blackrock College students to speak out about alleged sexual abuse in RTE documentary

A caller to Liveline recalled a cleric lying naked on a bed of silk sheets, while another said photographs of the victims were produced in co-operation between more than two people. David added: “The priest would take pictures of the lower half of my body.”

The priest warned David: “If you tell anybody, there will be consequences.” Victim support charity One In Four’s chief Maeve Lewis revealed on Liveline that abuse victims contacted the group throughout yesterday in need of support because of the allegations revealed in RTE’s documentary on Monday night.

Abuses at the prestigious school operated by the Holy Ghost Order, which is now known as the Irish Spiritans, date back to the 1970s. A spokesperson for the RTE documentary said: “The true number of children who were sexually abused on the grounds of Blackrock College is unknown.”

A total of 230 alleged victims across Ireland have accused 77 clerics of the Spiritans of abuse. The Spiritans, which has already paid out €5million in compensation to victims since 2004, is now braced for more allegations following the RTE broadcast. The heartbreaking accounts by brothers Mark and David were broadcast for the first time on RTE Radio 1 in its award-winning Documentary on One series.

They revealed that they were repeatedly sexually abused in the grounds of Blackrock College from the ages of 12 to 17. Mark’s abuse started when he joined the school aged 12. When he turned 14, another priest joined in the abuse.

Mark said: “I was very scared, but I never told anyone. Abuse was not in my vocabulary.” David, who was also an altar boy, revealed his abuser “violated my whole body”.

  • The RTE documentary Blackrock Boys is now available on rte.ie/podcasts.

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