Morgan Costello, final year, 1951, Coláiste Mhuire
The occasion of this post is the death of Morgan Costello on 3 July 2016.
I have posted on him elsewhere shortly after discovering, in 2012, that he had been a child sex abuser in St. Catherine's parish in Meath St. in Dublin's Liberties in the mid-1960s. He was accused of buggering a young man there over a period of a few years.
Since I did that post in October 2012 it has become clear that his activities in Meath St. were only a part of a wider picture.
Comments left on my post revealed that he was a known abuser in Seán McDermott St. and in Portmarnock/Baldoyle at least.
One commenter blames him for his brother's suicide. Another describes how he was defended by the commenter's father from an attacking crowd in Seán McDermott St. While the father did not believe the rumours, the mother made sure that none of her children were ever left alone with Morgan Costello. She was not the only mother in the country who safeguarded her children in this way.
One commenter tells that Morgan Costello was a prolific abuser and sadist in Portmarnock while another commenter tells how he was shifted from there after having being found to have abused a boy in the vestry.
Morgan Costello, first assignment, c.1959/60,
But it was before all of this that he came on his first priestly assignment to be Chaplain to the nuns in a local convent.
Morgan Costello, Celebrant
Myself and my friend Brian Reynolds along with a number of other neighbouring boys were altar boys there at that time.
That's me, on the left, in the picture above.
Morgan Costello, Court Appearance, 2010
It took till the year 2010 for him to be brought before the court for buggering the young man in Meath St., but the hearings kept being postponed and the case was finally abandoned by the DPP. I assume that this was due to either Morgan Costello's or the victim's health. So, while charged, after an intensive Garda investigation, he was never actually convicted by a court.
However, the fact that charges were brought after all these years, and after an intensive Garda investigation, combined with the comments referred to above leave me in no doubt what the outcome of the trial would have been had it been pursued to its conclusion.
I should make it clear that I was not abused by him and my anger comes from a wider sense of betrayal.
In keeping with current practice in these cases, the funeral was private, and I understand that known victims will be informed after the event. As there was no notice of the death in the papers, I don't know where the unknown victims will learn of his death other than on this blog.
AMEN
As there has been no notice of the death or funeral arrangements on rip.ie I can only assume that the funeral was private.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure of my reaction to this. I suppose the church wanted to avoid a potential fuss but attendance might have meant some closure for survivors or relatives, particularly given the abandonment of the court case initiated in 2010.
Hope his death was slow and as painful as the pain he caused throughout his horrible life. Oh yeah , one other thing , shame on the catholic church for shielding him for all those years.
ReplyDeleteMy partner was abused by him in a Dublin village. He left trauma on both him and a friend of his. I Seen the signs a month after meeting him. I knew something was wrong. He never got help hope he is burning in hell. Rotten bastard
DeleteWhat goes round comes back around
ReplyDeleteI am just angry at the church knowing that he was not trustworthy in his position as a priest and yet no one even tried to call him to justice for his evil actions. Abuse of power and innocent children
I can never understand why I cannot even express my opinion on the facts that I stand by
ReplyDeleteHe was a priest in St Margaret's north co Dublin. Late 70s early 80s took great pleasure one day reporting a boy up on roof of shelters at school getting a ball for the girls playing rounders ..he reported it in front of the vile head master lenehan and stood watching as the boy got beaten around the class room
ReplyDeleteI went to St Margarets too from 1985-91 I think. Costello was the parish priest living alongside the church directly opposite the school, he was black and blue when he arrived from a beating he got after being caught molesting in his previous parish before he was shipped into St Margarets. Lenehan was on old skool "teach them by beat them" dickhead. He hit one of the Lumley boys in the face and the father came into school and pointed a shotgun at his face as a warning to not do it again. He left when I was in senior infants or first class to be replaced by Michael Mooney who was a good man and a good teacher in my experience. Costello was gone by 91 or 92 I think, there was a new priest in place for my confo. Hope the scumbag is holding hands with Lenehan burning in hell.
DeleteI hear that St.Margarets old parish Church which has been the local parish Hall for years and the parochial House is up for sale. The parish priest from Finglas Richard Hiland is in charge of it. Proceeds from the sale will go to finglas and not to st.Margarets yet at a guess I would think that Richard Hiland knows nothing about the young alterboys that were ABUSED in that house of hell. The sale of this property should be stopped until an agreement is put in place to compensate these victims. Does anyone know how to go about this
DeleteSeems to have been a right little bollix on top of all the other stuff. I can't believe that he got shifted around parishes and just carried on abusing. Unfortunately, those responsible for facilitating him in this way are probably gone by now. Bon voyage to ... ...
ReplyDeleteAnd, sorry, forgot to say thanks @ anonymous.
ReplyDeleteI know a mm an from the Portmarnock area. still. He told me his story shocking and story of others that went before him. Absolute bastard he was.
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be no end to what this man was up to. Someone should carry the can for ignoring what he was doing and shifting him around.
DeleteI am given to understand that Bishop Kavanagh was not keen to take him on. Anyone got further knowledge of this?
I live in st. Margarets where evil priest costelloe was moved to continue his reign of terror on young boys and alterboys. This is not hearsay because I was there and I was one. Everything was covered up and people were afraid to stand up against the catholic church I know one mother who did and she was ostracised from the community. It is only now forty years later that I feel I'm strong enough to talk about it but I don't know where to turn
ReplyDeleteThis comment also came today anonymously but it didn't publish correctly so I am including the text of it here:
ReplyDeleteI hear that St.Margarets old parish Church which has been the local parish Hall for years and the parochial House is up for sale. The parish priest from Finglas Richard Hiland is in charge of it. Proceeds from the sale will go to finglas and not to st.Margarets yet at a guess I would think that Richard Hiland knows nothing about the young alterboys that were ABUSED in that house of hell. The sale of this property should be stopped until an agreement is put in place to compensate these victims. Does anyone know how to go about this
I spoke to a priest friend yesterday who informed me that Morgan Costello was seen by many as a holy man, an image he carefully projected of himself. All the more shock then when the true Morgan Costello was finally revealed.
ReplyDeletehe had a teacher in kinsealy who was also with him many times,and also abused pupils
ReplyDelete