My youngest brother was abused by paedophile priest

Mary McAleese said her brother only revealed the abuse at the age of 49.

She said the physical abuse happened throughout his seven years at St Colman’s College in Newry, where Finnegan – who died in 2002 – taught for 20 years.

Mrs McAleese said: “My baby brother, the youngest of nine children was seriously, physically, sadistically abused by Malachy Finnegan.”

She said her mother only found out three weeks ago.

Four of the former president’s five brothers attended St Colman’s.

She choked back tears as she talked about the impact on her family.

“My wonderful, beautiful and as you can imagine the youngest of the family so incredibly loved by all of us, to think that he suffered and never felt that he could tell anyone,” she told RTE.

Opportunities to take action were missed, she said.

Mrs McAleese added: “It was known and as he pointed out so many people had to have known, so many people who could have done something about it.

“We know the very first complaints about Malachy Finnegan go back to the 1970s, not the 1990s at all which means there is a body of information known to people who could have done something about it but, didn’t.”

Finnegan, who taught at St Colman’s from 1967 to 1976 has been linked to a catalogue of physical and emotional abuse against pupils.

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