The Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, has said the Garda would co-operate with any inquiry into clerical sex abuse in Co Wexford. Mr Byrne said that while he had not read up on the case recently, the Garda had not been satisfied with the way Father Jim Grennan had been investigated following allegations that he sexually abused 11 schoolgirls in Monageer, Co Wexford, in 1988.
Mr Jim and Mrs Josie Gahan's daughter Fiona was abused along with a number of other girls by Father Grennan during preparation for their confirmation in 1988. Local gardaí were directed not to make copies of the statements they had taken on the abuse cases, contrary to standard practice, and to send the file to Garda headquarters in Wexford. It has been missing since.
Mr Gahan said he was unhappy with what went on and the reasons offered for why the investigation had not been brought to a satisfactory conclusion. He raised the issue with the then Minister of State with responsibility for children, Mr Austin Currie, at a Fine Gael ardfheis in the mid-1990s. He said Mr Currie was "more interested in getting a pint of Guinness than hearing what Josie and I had to say".
Mr Currie strongly denied the allegation in a statement last night. He said he had an "information meeting" at the Fine Gael ardfheis in 1996 with Councillor Gary O'Halloran and the Gahans.
"I agreed in my capacity as Minister for Children to make inquiries about allegations that a case of child abuse had not been properly investigated, by the South Eastern Health Board in 1988. I immediately contacted the Health Board through my officials and asked for a response to Councillor O'Halloran's allegations.
"I subsequently received a comprehensive response from the health board which detailed the steps taken to investigate the allegations made in 1988."
Mr Currie sent a letter to Mr O'Halloran in April 1996 stating that he had received the "detailed" report from the SEHB and concurred with the board's statement that its staff had acted "quickly and competently". He added that he could be contacted again if they had any further inquiries or concerns about the matter.