Michael Cleary (priest) - Aftermath

Aftermath

This followed the 1992 discovery that Bishop Eamonn Casey, also a well-known cleric in Ireland, was found to have fathered a son (by then nearly 20) with American divorcée Annie Murphy. Casey was a friend and colleague of Cleary's and had known about his relationship with Hamilton. Cleary and Hamilton did not know about the bishop's own affair and were shocked at the revelation about Casey.

These sex scandals rocked the Catholic Church in Ireland. The Church was strongly criticized and the controversies shook many people's faith in its clergy. Murphy and Hamilton appeared on the Later With Clare McKeon chat show in January 1999 to talk about their lives and relationships, adding to publicity about the longtime affairs of the clergy.

While the Church allowed Hamilton and her son to continue living in Cleary's house after his death, it took possession after she died. The Church informed Ross Hamilton he had to leave. When he refused, the Church started legal proceedings against him. It paid him £40,000 to move. Due to changing requirements, the Church sold the brick house in Mount Harold Terrace, which yielded £700,000 for diocesan operations.