Sexual abuse survivor urges others to come forward

David Ryan, who featured in the RTÉ Radio 1 documentary ‘Blackrock Boys’, has called on any victims of historical sexual abuse at St Declan’s Special School in Donnybrook, Co Dublin, to come forward.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Drivetime, Mr Ryan said he had been abused by the founder of St Declan’s school Fr Dermot Casey, who is now deceased, during the 1970s before he attended Blackrock College.

In November 2022, the RTÉ Doc on One programme revealed that Mr Ryan, and his brother Mark, had been sexually abused repeatedly on the campus of Blackrock College during the 1970s.

In September last year, Mark Ryan passed away.

This evening on Drivetime, Mr Ryan revealed that he was sent to St Declan’s Special School because he was severely dyslexic.

His parents wanted him to get help with reading and writing, before he went to secondary school.

Mr Ryan explained how the abuse began when Fr Casey took the boy to his room for “so-called special reading lessons”.

He said the abuse got progressively worse during his nine months at the school – that it occurred five days a week for an hour and a half a day and that he was “absolutely terrified”.

In February, the Jesuit Order revealed that Fr Casey, had been the subject of 17 complaints of child sexual abuse between the 1950s and the 1970s.

A report by the Society of Jesus revealed how complaints of child sexual abuse against Fr Casey were not initially acted upon by another deceased Jesuit father, Paul Andrews, in 1975.

In January this year, Mr Ryan made the Jesuits aware of the abuse he suffered by Fr Casey at St Declan’s Special School in Donnybrook.

In April, he returned to the school – which he said was extremely traumatising – and the Orders’ Provincial Fr Shane Daly read him a formal apology.

“Since that day, I have not heard a single word. They never phoned me to see how I am, how I’ve been doing.

“It’s like ‘we’ve done this for him. Now, brush it under the carpet, pat on the back and get out the door’, but unfortunately, the recall is very vivid now of the time Casey did abuse me. I’m getting more and more flashbacks,” he said.

The Jesuit Order has been contacted by RTÉ News for a response.

Mr Ryan said he never told his late brother, Mark, what had happened at St Declan’s Special School until they were walking to court one day for the case regarding abuse at Blackrock College.

He said he had many questions over how the Jesuit Order “acted” after it first became aware of Fr Casey’s abuse and called on other victims to come forward.

Following the broadcast of ‘Blackrock Boys’, the Government established a scoping inquiry into historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders.

The inquiry which was conducted by Mary O’Toole SC is due to be delivered to the Minister for Education Norma Foley tomorrow.

Prior to its publication, the report will be sent to survivors. Minister Foley is expected to consider its recommendations and it will be sent to the Attorney General.