Maíria Cahill affair being used as political football

In the wake of the Maíria Cahill affair, the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin called for a cross-border commission to be established to examine how Sinn Féin and the IRA dealt with abuse cases during the Troubles. Mr Martin said “allegations of a cover-up demand a wider response”.

His suggestion may well be worth exploring if it was to include the movement back and forth across the border of the abused Bethany Home and Westbank Orphanage children.

Mr Martin said successive Irish governments had set up commissions inquiring into institutional responses to sexual abuse cases, and instanced the Laffoy, Ryan and Murphy commissions. Children did come forward but some were not listened to.