A nun who was in charge of an orphanage in Kilkenny told the High Court yesterday it was only in 1970/71 that the first childcare course became available in Ireland, when one was established in Kilkenny City.
Sister Joseph Conception (79), of the Sisters of Charity, was giving evidence in an action by a man who claims he was sexually abused by a care worker (since deceased) when he was a schoolboy visiting the institution in the mid-1970s.
The man, who now lives in Spain, has brought an action against St Joseph's orphanage, where the incident occurred, and the Minister for Education, who is sued as being entrusted with the supervision of industrial schools.
At the opening of the hearing, Mr Justice O'Higgins was told the assault is not denied by either defendant but the date of the actual assault was still an issue.
In her evidence, Sister Conception said the Department of Education had asked St Joseph's to take 32 boys from another institution in September 1966. From 1972 until she left in 1986, she was manager.
The first she knew about the now deceased childcare worker sexually abusing children at St Joseph's was in June 1977, when a boy aged 14 told her his friend was up visiting the care worker who did something to him.
She rang a Garda sergeant and arrangements were made for a meeting with the now deceased care worker.
Following a discussion with the garda, she told the deceased worker: "You can never come back to St Joseph's or have any dealings with our children." He accepted this.
The deceased care worker came to the orphanage on August 28th, 1976. In relation to a previous care worker, Sister Conception got the first complaints in 1974-1975. One boy had said to her: "He is at me."
Cross-examined by Mr Patrick McCarthy SC, for the plaintiff, Sister Conception said she had never heard at that time of the words "sex abuse".
When the boy said "he is at me", that had signified to her he was beating the boys.
The case continues.