Sexual abuse was rampant at a children’s home in the North run by a Catholic order of brothers, a former senior police officer has said.

There has been no surprise at the announcement that Cardinal Seán Brady has offered his resignation to Pope Francis. This was obligatory once he reached his 75th birthday yesterday. There are unlikely to be many regrets, because he should have resigned some years ago.

IT was Nov 16, 1994, and I was so excited that I made an excuse to get off work and cycled home to watch telly. There was a motion of “no confidence” in Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Albert Reynolds amid controversy relating to his appointment of Harry Whelehan as President of the High Court.

The resignation of Nessa Childers from the Parliamentary Labour Party is likely to fuel further uneasiness within that party.

WHERE was Cardinal Sean Brady’s conscience when he helped hush-up the crimes of a child rapist?

Cardinal Brady has no right to lecture anyone on the morals of abortion when, back in the 1970s, his ineptitude failed to protect children from clerical sex abuse, argues Michael Clifford

Eighty years and a world away from its last staging in Ireland, the International Eucharistic Congress has returned to Dublin to the delight of devout Catholics and a marked indifference by the wider public.

The eight days of the 50th Eucharistic Congress opened in Dublin yesterday.

ON May 23, I was told by an impeccable source it was their understanding that Tom Savage and the Communications Clinic had represented Fr Kevin Reynolds in the run up to the broadcast of the RTÉ Prime Time Investigates programme, ‘Mission to Prey’.

Speculation is growing that the Vatican may appoint a Bishop to assist Cardinal Sean Brady who is under growing pressure to stand aside over his role in the Fr Brendan Smyth affair.

Specialist detectives are reviewing claims that Cardinal Sean Brady knew in 1975 that five children were being abused by one of the country’s most dangerous paedophiles, Fr Brendan Smyth.

I’ve watched RTE reporter Tommie Gorman’s 18 minute interview on May 2 with Catholic Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh, Cardinal Sean Brady, about when, in 1975, as a part-time 36 year-old-secretary to a bishop, he was the notetaker at a meeting with a young man telling his story of being abused by the most persistent of paedophile priests, Fr Brendan Smyth.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said today that Cardinal Seán Brady should consider his position as head of the Catholic church in Ireland.

A prominent priest said today that he believes Cardinal Sean Brady was willing to offer his resignation two years ago, but the Vatican refused.

A prominent canon lawyer has said that he believes Cardinal Sean Brady's position as Primate of all Ireland is untenable.

It seemed incredible in 1994 that the cover-up involving the paedophile activities of Fr Brendan Smyth had been going on for 19 years by the time it brought down the government of Albert Reynolds.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, has vowed to stay on as he attempted to distance himself from a secret inquiry into one of the country's most dangerous paedophiles.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said today that Cardinal Sean Brady needs to "reflect" on the contents of a BBC documentary on Fr Brendan Smyth.

Cardinal Sean Brady has today issued a statement in response to regarding new revelations regarding alleged mishandling of allegations against paedophile Brendan Smyth.

The founder of One in Four has called for Cardinal Sean Brady to admit he failed to act appropriately by not reporting the abuse of children in 1975.

MORE than words could ever tell, the raw statistics of horrific child abuse by priests in six Catholic dioceses underscore the past record of cover-up within the church whose culture of denial, silence and hypocrisy in the face of damning allegations has seriously undermined its authority in the eyes of the Irish people.

Ireland has always punched above its weight in diplomatic terms.

A retired Catholic bishop has been singled out for failing to follow Church rules on reporting clerical sex abuse in an Irish diocese as recently as three years ago.

DESCRIBED by Dublin’s leading cleric as a “horrendous narrative” the Murphy report is, to date, the most detailed examination of the crimes against children perpetrated by some Catholic priests, and their cover-up, in any part of the country.

I USED to be an inveterate funeral goer – several per week. I hadn’t been to one for the past two years until the unexpected death of newspaper man and former schoolmate, Alan Ruddock.

THE 2009 annual report of the National Board for Safeguarding Children highlights the need for radical change requiring nothing less than a major step away from the defensiveness of the past to a more open and accountable present.

Abuse survivors claimed today that Cardinal Sean Brady’s vow to remain in office was a mistake and sent out a signal that the Church has not changed.

The Church of Ireland's Archbishop of Dublin said today that he regrets the comments made by the Archbishop of Canterbury about the clerical sex abuse scandal in Ireland.

The Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy has confirmed that Cardinal Seán Brady is not under garda investigation at this point in time.

THE head of the Catholic Church in Ireland said he wanted to work towards a just resolution in a court case being taken against him by an alleged victim of clerical abuse.

Cardinal Sean Brady has said he wants to work towards a just resolution in a court case being taken against him by an alleged victim of clerical abuse.

A spokeman for Primate of All-Ireland Seán Brady has said the Cardinal understood the oaths of silence taken by two of Fr Brendan Smyth's victims at a meeting in 1975 were not permanently binding.

Survivors of clerical child abuse say the Church can't continue to have Cardinal Sean Brady at the helm in Ireland after it emerged he covered up allegations of abuse in the 1970's.

A GENUINE exercise in humility and reflection? Or a cynical attempt to buy some valuable time to allow the clamours for his resignation to die down?

CARDINAL Seán Brady has vowed to reflect on the views of child abuse victims, amid continuing calls for his resignation over allegations that he was involved in a cover-up of abuse by the notorious paedophile priest, Fr Brendan Smyth, 35 years ago.

CARDINAL BRADY is a learned man and the many bishops, priests and lay people who have worked with him over the course of his esteemed career speak of him with the highest regard.

CARDINAL BRADY is a learned man and the many bishops, priests and lay people who have worked with him over the course of his esteemed career speak of him with the highest regard.

IT is just about the last bastion of deference to the Catholic Church in this country, but it also just happens to be the most important one — Government Buildings.

IT’S no surprise that Cardinal Seán Brady won’t resign following the disclosure of his part in the cover-up of Fr Brendan Smyth’s sexual assaults on children as far back as 1975.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin tonight refused to demand his superior's resignation over revelations he failed to alert police about one of Ireland's most notorious paedophile priests.

Labour's justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte has called for the resignation of Cardinal Seán Brady.

THE gardaí should investigate Cardinal Seán Brady’s involvement in the hushing-up of paedophilia in the Catholic Church, Labour last night insisted.

CHILD rape victims have said they could have been saved from a paedophile priest if the head of the Catholic Church had taken action when he learned of the attacks 35 years ago.

NO matter what else he achieves Cardinal Seán Brady’s legacy will be defined by the image of him asking two prepubescent children to sign oaths of secrecy to protect the most notorious and persistent paedophile sheltered by the Irish Catholic Church in modern times.