Subscriber OnlyLetters

Welcoming the historic meeting between David Ryan and Pope Leo XIV

David and Mark Ryan inspired many others

Letters to the Editor. Illustration: Paul Scott
The Irish Times - Letters to the Editor.
Sat Feb 07 2026 - 06:00 • 1 MIN READ

Sir, – As a past student of Willow Park and Blackrock College in the 1960s, may I say how delighted I was to hear of the historic one-to-one meeting between Pope Leo XIV and David Ryan. David and his late brother Mark bravely related in 2022 their horrific sexual abuse experiences in the RTÉ Radio documentary Blackrock Boys, which in turn gave many more victims the courage to come forward.

I sincerely wish David every happiness for the future. – Yours, etc,

Brian McDevitt,

Glenties,

READ MORE

Try today’s Daily Eight: A new eight-clue Irish Times crossword

Hardliners gain ground in French local elections

That infuriating fixture of office life: the protected species who gets away with murder

Oscars 2026 red carpet fashion: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Kerry Condon and more

Co Donegal.