Willie Walsh (bishop) - "John"'s Allegations

"John"'s Allegations

An anonymous complainant, "John" alleged that he had been raped by three priests, Fathers T, U and V, in the early 1980s, and had been told by Bishop Walsh in 2005 to report the incidents to the police. Walsh had paid "John" €20,000 personally, and €45,000 out of Killaloe diocesan funds in 2008-09, "though he never formally sought compensation", and promised to seek a further €30,000 from the diocese and the alleged offending priests in 2010. It is unclear to what extent Walsh felt sorry for "John", whom he described as "a decent person", or whether the money was paid to some extent as hush money.

Walsh himself believed "John"'s story, saying that Father T was "the worst offender in that he started it. But the other two did worse". The three priests had been in the same class at the Maynooth seminary, and "John" alleged that his attempt to complain about them to the then College President, Micheál Ledwith, had been brushed off. The 2005 McCullough Report had investigated and dismissed claims of homosexual behaviour at the College.