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Irish Examiner view: Shame State can’t be proactive in helping those let down in the past

Taoiseach's apology to survivors of institutional abuse is a welcome acknowledgement of the suffering endured by so many vulnerable people, but the background to the apology is not as encouraging

Irish Examiner view: Shame State can’t be proactive in helping those let down in the past — Maurice Patton O'Connell, Mary Dunleavy Greene, Mary Donovan, and Marian Moriarty Owen arriving at the Department of An Taoiseach. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

Thu, 26 Feb, 2026 - 01:00

Taoiseach Micheál Martin apologised to survivors of institutional abuse yesterday in the Dáil, saying: “What you endured on a daily basis as innocent children was harrowing, heartbreaking, and wrong.”

This is a welcome acknowledgement of the suffering endured by so many vulnerable people, but the background to the apology is not as encouraging.

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