David Ryan, who featured in the Blackrock Boys documentary which led to the scoping inquiry into alleged abuse at schools run by religious orders, has called on the State to issue an apology to victims and survivors.
The scoping inquiry found that there were 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse in relation to 308 schools recorded by the religious orders that ran the schools.
The allegations were made about 884 distinct alleged abusers.
Since the publication of the report, the adult sexual abuse counselling service One In Four has received over 300 calls.
Mr Ryan's phone has also been ringing nonstop for the past week, with calls from friends, family and the media wondering what his thoughts are regarding the scoping inquiry report.
"I'm being honest, I haven't read the report. It's just too much, too raw. Too soon. I'll do it on my own time, but what has come out, I'm happy with," he said.
"There are mixed emotions. Some people aren't too happy, some people are happy.
"But I'm going to sit on the fence at the moment. I'll do it in my own time when I'm ready."
According to the scoping inquiry report, the religious orders’ records indicate that over half of the 884 persons accused of historical sexual abuse are known to be deceased.
Mr Ryan’s perpetrators are amongst that cohort.
His mission is to see other alleged victims and survivors get justice.
The scoping inquiry has "set the ball rolling" but he wants to see the commission of investigation to be completed quickly.
State apology
In May 1999, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern apologised on behalf of the Irish people to victims of childhood abuse in residential institutions run by religious congregations.
A Commission of Inquiry was established with the primary focus of providing victims with an opportunity to tell their stories of the abuse they suffered and a redress board was established.
The Ryan Report was published in 2009.
David Ryan said another apology is necessary.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
"I know Bertie Ahern did his, but another one has to be done now because there's more people that have been hurt, severely hurt, and the pain is still there. I mean, we're all suffering still," he said.
The scoping inquiry by senior council Mary O’Toole and her team got under way in March 2023.
It involved people speaking to the Inquiry’s Survivor Engagement team about their childhood experiences, the impact on them as children and as adults up to the present day.
Read more:
2,395 allegations of sexual abuse at religious schools - inquiry finds
Abuse report: More than 160 contacts made to gardaí since Wednesday
Survivors say scoping report on sexual abuse gives 'credibility'
Taoiseach Simon Harris said he could not see a scenario where there would not be a State apology.
Speaking on Morning Ireland, he said the scoping inquiry into alleged abuse at schools run by religious orders has "unleashed a national trauma".
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
He went on to say that as Taoiseach, he was so sorry over what had happened.
"I feel such a deep sense of sorrow, hurt, anger and disgust".
Scoping inquiry participation
Mr Ryan described speaking to the scoping inquiry team as "a very, very tough day", however, he knew he had to do it.
"Some people were in for a couple of hours. I know Mark was in for over two and a half hours doing his. I don't know how long I was.
"I was there for a while, but it's tough. A lot of questions, but if you don't answer the questions, they can't go any further with it. The more they got, the more they can do and they got a 700-page report".
Mr Ryan said he and Mark, along with Liam O'Brien from RTÉ's Doc on One, "opened a huge can of worms", which he said "had to be done".
Commission of Investigation
The report recommended that a Commission of Investigation be established and that victims and survivors receive redress.
Minister for Education Norma Foley has also not ruled out the inclusion of state schools in an inquiry.
Mr Ryan said a commission of investigation needed to be done "quickly" and redress dealt with.
"It cannot be put back and put back. I mean, I never know when I'm going to go. I would like this before I go, for my sake and for Mark's sake," he said.
"Everything has to be done. I just can't emphasise this so much. I mean, (they need to) stop sitting on their backsides now. Come on, let's get this up and going."
Through help and guidance from One In Four and counselling from Towards Healing, which provides professional support for people who have experienced institutional, clerical or religious abuse in Ireland, Mr Ryan is learning to cope and "decode" his brain from being "brainwashed as a child".
"There are dark days still," he said.
"I mean, there's certain anniversaries, certain days that it will always just trigger straight away, but I'm learning to cope with it," he said.
Advice for victims and survivors
The scoping inquiry report pointed out that the CSO's 2022 Sexual Violence Survey showed low levels of men-reported sexual violence, including sexual violence experienced in childhood.
The CSO suggested that, in the age cohort of persons aged 35 years and older, some 15,300 men and 26,000 women are estimated to have experienced sexual violence as a child in a school.
Asked if he had any advice for people who may have experienced abuse but have not been able to speak about it yet, Mr Ryan said they should pick up the phone.
He pointed out that some may not feel ready to go to gardaí, but should call One In Four.
"They will guide you in what to do and where to go, that's how to do it, talk to them and once you talk to them, it'll flow," he said.
Grieving Mark
David's grief for Mark has become evident in recent weeks, he acknowledges the grieving process is likely to have been stalled due to the distraction of the scoping inquiry.
"I have his photographs in my bedroom and his urn is up in the room with me and the awards that we got for the Doc on One are all there.
"Every day I see him, and he has that smile on his face and I look at him and say, look at you, Mark Ryan."
David and his family and close friends will say goodbye to Mark on his anniversary at the end of this month when they scatter his ashes on Dublin Bay.
"It’s bittersweet," he said.
"I miss him terribly."
Urgent need for resources
There is an urgent need for resources to respond to adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, CEO of One Four Deirdre Kenny has said.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Ms Kenny said her organisation has had an "influx" of over 350 calls from survivors since last week's publication of the scoping inquiry and that most of those who have been contacting the service are older men, the majority of them have have experienced abuse while in school.
Ms Kenny called for joined-up thinking to address the issue as she likened the impact of childhood sexual abuse to a severe illness which requires significant investment and prevention strategies.
"If we think about an illness or a disease that would affect one in four children and cause the degree of impact on people's lives that we know childhood sexual abuse is, we'd probably have much more investment in the area, much more joined up thinking."
She said the scoping inquiry has shone a spotlight on this again, adding that "it's time that we really concentrated on preventing this issue in the future and getting resources for people who need it now."
