Taoiseach Issues Formal Apology to Survivors of Institutional Abuse in Dáil

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has issued a formal State apology in Dáil Éireann to survivors of institutional abuse, fulfilling a commitment made to four survivors who staged a hunger strike outside Leinster House last November to highlight what happened to them as children.

The apology was delivered on 25 February 2026, with the survivors themselves present in the chamber to hear it.

The Taoiseach welcomed Mary Donovan, Mary Dunlevy Greene, Miriam Moriarty Owens and Maurice Patton O'Connell to Dáil Éireann at the outset of his address, acknowledging their "tireless commitment to shining a light into the dark corners of both our past and present."

The apology builds on the State's 1999 apology to victims of childhood abuse and incorporates elements of the 2021 apology to survivors of mother and baby homes, particularly regarding children who were boarded out. It was developed following consultation with the Attorney General and the conclusion of a formal mediation process.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: 

"I want to unequivocally apologise to you and reiterate on behalf of the Government, the State, and all the citizens of the State, the profound sorrow for the terrible pain and abuse suffered by you. What you endured on a daily basis as innocent children was harrowing, heart breaking and wrong."

On the issue of those who were boarded out from industrial and reformatory schools, the Taoiseach was direct: "Regardless of the pathway from which individuals were boarded out, this was unforgiveable."

The Taoiseach also used the occasion to formally clarify the State's position on criminal records, confirming categorically that no individual holds a criminal record solely by virtue of having been placed in an industrial school, or transferred to a reformatory school from one. A separate statement on the matter is to be issued by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Certificates confirming this status will be available to individual survivors on a case-by-case basis, including posthumously.

A package of additional supports was agreed following the mediation process, building on the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act 2025. These include dedicated health liaison officers, improved access to counselling and physiotherapy, additional education grants, and expanded payments to cover informal learning, self-development and wellbeing activities. Survivors will also be prioritised for social housing, with community welfare services directed to give specific consideration to funeral costs.