Radio 1 88-90fm
Programme 2: 24th August 2006
At the age of 26, Fr Gerard McGinnity was appointed Junior Dean at Maynooth - Ireland's national seminary. By just 32, he was Senior Dean - decades younger than previous holders of the post. But in 1984, he was approached by students who had concerns about the behaviour of the college's Vice President, Dr. Mícheál Ledwith - and these included concerns of a sexual nature.
After bringing these concerns to the attention of bishops, McGinnity was pressured into resigning his post and had to return to the diocese as a curate, while Ledwith was promoted to College President. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Ledwith resigned prematurely as President, and agreed a financial settlement - without liability - with a man who alleged Ledwith had abused him as a minor.
