Brother known to be violent 'taught for years'

Brother known to be violent 'taught for years'

Thursday May 25th 2006 A CHRISTIAN Brother who was known to be violent and of questionable mental health was allowed stay on teaching in school for years despite having fractured a child's jaw, beaten another with a stick, and given a boy a black eye. Brothers tolerated a significant amount of violent corporal punishment at St Joseph's Industrial School in Tralee in the late 1950s-early 1960s, the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse heard yesterday. Br Seamus Nolan, of the Provincial's southern section, conceded the actions were "indefensible" and that the Christian Brothers' response to this man, known as Brother M, was "most inadequate". Barrister Mark Connaughton said: "The children described him as a madman, and even a visitation report by authorities questioned his mental health - yet he carries on," he added. Mr Connaughton listed how Brother M fractured a child's jaw prior to being a teacher in St Joseph's, and meted out violent punishment to children elsewhere. If the school had been a caring place, the Brother would have been arrested, Mr Connaughton suggested. Br Nolan responded: "I cannot explain the leniency (of how the Brother was treated). It seems transferral was a punishment to him, he was monitored, and then the axe fell." Extracts were read from the Christian Brothers' own visitation report on St Joseph's from 1954, prior to Brother M's arrival, which painted a picture of fear and hostility. The report stated that the Superior could instil such terror into boys that they could be known to admit they had done wrong when afterwards they could be proven innocent. As late as 1968 there were reports of physical abuse against children. The Carriglea Park school in Dun Laoghaire was also the subject of yesterday's inquiry, with reports of children having a change of underpants only every four to six weeks. Barrister Marcus Dowling, representing former pupils, said little seemed to have been done about this despite repeated reports, which also highlighted poor diet, lack of exercise, and other hygiene deficiencies. The inquiry has been adjourned to May 31. Conor Feehan Irish Independent