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How the story of abuse in Catholic Church institutions emerged

Ireland Timeline

1987– Insurance taken out by dioceses around the country to cover them against allegations of clerical child sex abuse.

1987– The Irish state publishes its first set of guidelines on child abuse.

1988– Desmond Connell appointed Archbishop of Dublin.

1990– Irish Catholic Church establishes internal committee (chaired by Bishop of Ossory Laurence Forristal) to assess legal implications for Irish priests of child abuse revelations in the future. No Irish case has yet been made public.

June 1994– The scandal breaks – Fr Brendan Smith is sentenced to 4 years in prison for abuse of children in Northern Ireland.

October 1994– Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference refuses to comment on reports that two Kerry priests were removed from their duties on foot of allegations of child sexual abuse.

November 1994– Government falls over divisions between coalition partners Fianna Fail and Labour over Attorney General’s handling of extradition requests for Fr Brendan Smith to Northern Ireland.

April 1995– Andrew Madden is the first victim of clerical child sex abuse to go public. The Irish Pressreports that he has received a compensation payment in respect of his abuse as a child.

May 1995– Archbishop Desmond Connell announces that the archdiocese has never paid compensation to any victim of clerical child abuse. He later explains that the money used to compensate Andrew Madden was a “loan” from the archdiocese to Ivan Payne.

June 1995– a Dublin priest receives 12-month sentence for child sex abuse; Belfast priest Daniel Curran sentenced to seven years for child sex abuse. A number of other priests charged with abuse during following months.

September– RTÉ Prime Timeprogramme names Ivan Payne as abuser of Andrew Madden. Archbishop Connell threatens to sue over suggestions that he facilitated the compensation payment to Andrew. No case is ever taken.

October 1995– The Irish Timesreports that another Dublin priest paid £50,000 compensation to a man he abused as a child.

November 1995– Bishops issue fullest apology to date.

November 1995– Wexford priest Fr Sean Fortune charged with child sex abuse.