Louth TD warns that thousands of boys may have been abused by former doctor Michael Shine
- Dignity 4Patients
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
By John Kierans- Drogheda Independent- 17/03/2026- [Drogheda, Ireland]- [Michael Shine]
Thousands of men were abused by Michael Shine and are too afraid to come forward and contact the Gardaí.
The shocking claim was made in the Dáil by Drogheda TD Ged Nash.
So far, 400 victims have gone public, but there is now hope many more will come forward as a new scoping inquiry into the horrific scandal, led by senior counsel Lorcan Staines, gets underway.
Deputy Nash said: “Hundreds of men in my community, specifically in Drogheda but also in the wider Louth/Meath areas, have made formal complaints to An Garda Síochána over many years about the disgraceful actions of Michael Shine over many decades.
“We are of the view that thousands of men across my community may very well have been affected but have chosen, for their own reasons, not to come forward.
“These men are my peers and my contemporaries, and their lives have been extremely adversely affected because of the abuse and sexual violence perpetrated against them by a doctor working in our health service over many decades, who behaved in so many ways in an untrammelled fashion, unchallenged by anyone else bar a few who worked alongside him and those who decided to blow the whistle, who were inevitably targeted for the actions they undertook to expose this scandal — and it is a scandal.
“Michael Shine served only a short time behind bars, and a criminal conviction and prison sentence do not, of themselves, justice make.”
He hopes the scoping inquiry will deliver accountability for those who looked the other way when they knew what was going on, and that a full State investigation into the scandal could take place.
Shine served only three years in custody for a handful of sample charges of sexual assault and abuse against several boys.
The Dignity4Patients group, which represents all his victims, says the only criminal prosecution against Shine so far merely scratches the surface of the crimes he committed, and that most of the men he abused as children have received no justice.
Another Louth TD, Paula Butterly, who is also involved in the campaign for justice, said she wants the whole truth to come out.
She fumed: “For 30 years Shine, the convicted sexual offender, was hidden in plain sight. He built a successful practice where he abused young boys and men.
“He became for many a pillar of society and for many a god, while young boys’ lives lay in tatters.
“Michael Shine started working in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in 1964. For context, that was 62 years ago. The first allegations were reported in 1977, but no action was taken.
“In 1983, further and separate allegations were made, but again no action was taken.
“In 1995, Bernadette Sullivan blew the lid off the sordid actions of this sick, vile man and the scandal was exposed. Michael Shine retired in 1999 on a full pension. He continued to live a carefree life while those he abused plunged deeper into despair.
“Finally, in 2017 — over 40 years after the first complaint — and after serious challenges by Mr Shine to avoid justice at all costs, he was convicted.
“I have heard people in Drogheda and in the wider constituency of Louth say that even the dogs in the street knew what he was up to, yet nothing happened.
“I find this deeply disturbing, as it speaks to a society and culture that I cannot comprehend, but unfortunately I know has existed for far too long.
“One man, aided and abetted by a society and institutions of secrecy and complicity, did this to over 400 young boys and men. How did this happen? Who knew? Who did not want to believe? Who knew but simply chose to look the other way — and who did nothing?”
Deputy Butterly has met many of the survivors and victims and praised their extraordinary courage. She listened to their “brutal” accounts of how they were abused by Shine.
She added: “For decades they carried the trauma of what they have endured, too often in silence and too often without the support of the very systems meant to protect them.
“I have seen the pain etched on their faces — lines that have deepened over the years, not only as a result of the trauma caused by the paedophile Shine, but also because of the silence and disbelief they have met in their search for answers and accountability.”
The latest victim to come forward and speak publicly about his ordeal, Gerard Murray, described how Shine raped him as an eight-year-old boy.
He ended up becoming an alcoholic and went off the rails as a teenager, but thankfully he is now sober and got his life back. He bravely did not let Shine define who he is.
He has welcomed the scoping inquiry and hopes a full-scale independent investigation will now go ahead.
The scoping inquiry is expected to last 16 weeks, after which Mr Staines will report back to the Health Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, on what should happen next.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and were abused in state run medical and health facilities, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday, 10am to 4pm.
Dignity4Patients Commentary: The allegations surrounding Michael Shine are not just a story of one man’s crimes they represent a profound failure of systems, institutions, and society over decades. What stands out most starkly is not only the scale of the abuse, but the long shadow of silence that allowed it to continue.
The Scoping Exercise offers an opportunity to establish the truth through a victim sanctioned report recommending a statutory inquiry model. This statutory inquiry must go hand in hand with accountability, not just with regards to the perpetrator, but for the systemic failings of those in power in institutions that enabled, ignored, or failed to act on credible concerns.