‘If we do nothing, then we become the abusers’

On Tuesday night, two whistleblowers at the heart of the Grace scandal arrived at the front gates of Leinster House for the Dáil debate on the scandal.

Neither of the two women, who have risked everything to speak out and get justice, could have imagined how dramatic the night would be. As the debate commenced, Disabilities Minister Finian McGrath spoke passionately of justice for Grace and defended the terms of reference, which excluded the other victims in the home.

However, as we reported yesterday, McGrath was savaged for more than 90 minutes from deputies across the floor. The key intervention was from Brendan Howlin, who got legal advice to say the terms of reference as drafted did not allow other victims to be included in the commission’s work.