Claire McKeegan

The claims, relating to abuse perpetrated by prolific paedophile Malachy Finegan at St Colman’s College, Newry from 1972 to 1984, were brought against the Diocese of Dromore and the Board of Governors at St Colman’s College.

The final settlements were announced in the High Court yesterday morning, having been resolved at the door of the court — after the claimants had already gone through full trial preparation.

As part of the settlements, Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of Ireland, will issue written apologies on behalf of the Diocese of Dromore to the survivors involved.

In a statement, one of the five survivors said: “I would ask Archbishop Martin to reflect on his treatment of survivors through his legal tactics which have been appalling on every level and as far from the compassionate Christ he claims to represent as East is from West.

“We have repeatedly set out our call for a statutory inquiry into clerical abuse in Northern Ireland.

“These predators were able to gorge themselves on us young children under the cover of the cloth. Lack of truth leaves an open wound. We want to see priests called to answer their actions and omissions.

“The ongoing suspicion that Finegan was an informer hangs — many of us suspect this could have allowed him to exploit children with impunity. We need truth and answers.”

Claire McKeegan, partner at Phoenix Law, said: “Our clients have endured a lifetime of pain and suffering at the hands of Malachy Finegan and other staff members at St Colman’s who exploited their positions of power and trust to inflict abuse of the utmost depravity.

“We commend the bravery and resilience shown by our clients in pursuing justice. It is deeply regrettable that the protracted legal process itself added to their trauma.

“Delay tactics and 11th-hour adjournments brought by the Church and College served only to inflict further distress on our survivor clients and obstruct them from accessing justice.

“Substantial settlements have now been reached for each of the five victims and we welcome Archbishop Eamon Martin’s commitment to providing written apologies to our clients.”