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	Lesbian Sex Abuse Investigation at Kylemore Abbey By Brian McDonald Irish Independent May 17, 2006 http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3? ca=9&si=1614855&issue_id=14048 A LESBIAN sex abuse investigation is underway at one of the country's most prestigious girls' schools. The investigation, being carried out by the Health Service Executive (HSE) West, has centred on alleged inappropriate sexual activity at Kylemore Abbey secondary school for girls in Connemara, Co Galway. The Irish Independent understands the investigation has centred on alleged sexual interference with schoolgirls by at least one nun. HSE investigators were called in by the Benedictine Nuns after an audit of all instances alleging sexual abuse was undertaken in the wake of the Ferns report. The trawl uncovered alleged sexual abuse, solely involving females, at the picturesque Kylemore Abbey school run by the Benedictine Nuns in the heart of Connemara. According to sources, the alleged abuse dates back about 20 years and none of the parties central to the investigation is currently working, living or attending school at Kylemore Abbey. The Irish Independent understands a church-led investigation was carried out when the matter was brought to the attention of the school's authorities in the 1980s. The results are believed to have been forwarded to the Vatican but, to date, no criminal charges have been brought against any individual. Neither gardai or the Western Health Board was informed at the time. The HSE West, which effectively replaced the health board, was only made aware of the alleged sex abuse for the first time some months ago. It is understood the nuns called in the HSE West after the order - in common with other religious orders - undertook the task of examining in detail all records of sex abuse reports dealing with children under their care. An investigation was immediately launched by HSE West officials and gardai were informed as a matter of protocol. But to date, no complainant has come forward to make a statement. The exact nature and scale of the sex abuse has not been disclosed to date but it is understood to have been sufficiently serious to have been initially investigated by the Benedictine Nuns when it initially came to light and also to have warranted a full investigation by the HSE in recent months. A statement issued by the HSE West last night confirmed an investigation was under way but did not include specific details of the alleged abuse. There are currently 137 students enrolled at Kylemore, 49 of whom are boarding and 34 of these come from countries other than Ireland. The school has been opened to day-students from the immediate locality since 1928. A total of 36 people are employed at the school. Of these, 23 are teaching staff, but as a result of dwindling vocations, only one of these is a Benedictine nun. The Benedictine community at the Abbey has now fallen to just 14 nuns. In February the Benedictine Order announced that it would finally be closing the doors of its school in August 2010 because of falling vocation numbers. The picture-postcard beauty of Kylemore Abbey has made it the top tourist attraction in the West of Ireland for decades.
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