Archbishop John Charles McQuaid
This is the most notable of eight cases in which false sexual allegations were made against an Irish Bishop in the period 1994 to 2006.
John Charles McQuaid was Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland from 1940 to 1972. He was the best known and most powerful Irish churchman in the 20th Century. His accuser John Cooney has, since early 2006 been the Religious Affairs correspondent of the Irish Independent, the largest selling daily newspaper in the country. His biography of the Archbishop "John Charles McQuaid: Ruler of Catholic Ireland" was published in November 1999 i.e. about six years before his Independent appointment. In the 1970s he had been Religious Affairs correspondent of the Irish Times, our most "intellectual" newpaper.
Cooney's allegations have been universally rejected by Irish historians - including those who are hostile to the late Archbishop and who praise the remainder of his book. See also the section on "John Cooney and John Charles McQuaid" in the "Writers and Journalists" part of this website.
The first two articles following are the Wikipedia article and extracts from the Wikipedia Discussion page on John Charles McQuaid. I created most of both!
Links
Wikipedia Article on John Charles McQuaid - retrieved on 28 June 2010
Extracts from Wikipedia Discussion page re John Charles McQuaid - retrieved on 29 June 2010
Catholic Morality - Three Statements on Contraception and Conscience - 1970/71
McQuaid and Adoption - John Cooney and Jim Cantwell - March 1996
McQuaid Book Launch - November 1999
Garda Investigation Cleared Dr. McQuaid, Sunday Independent - 7 November 1999
John Cooney And Fr John Fitzpatrick (Secretary to Archbishop McQuaid) - November 1999
John Cooney and John Charles McQuaid (1) - Extracts from Reviews of Cooney's Book
John Cooney and John Charles McQuaid (2 )- Dodgy Evidence Simply Beggars Belief
John Cooney and John Charles McQuaid (3) - View from McQuaid's Turret
John Cooney and John Charles McQuaid (4) - John Cooney vs Vincent Browne
John Cooney and John Charles McQuaid (5) - Unholy Row as Sensationalist Scot Digs Dirt in Dublin
My Hour Alone With John Charles McQuaid by Colum Kenny - November 1999
Kevin Myers, John Cooney and John Charles McQuaid - November 1999
Cooney Has At Least Posed Right Question, Fintan O'Toole - 26 November 1999
Kevin Myers on Mother and Child Scheme - December 1999
Personal Reminiscences of John Charles McQuaid - November 1999 to January 2000
Email from Albert King (victim of institutional child abuse) - June 2006
Reply to Rory Connor by Albert King (victim of institutional child abuse) - July 2006
Solicitor Apologises to Cooney - June 2006
Cooney Vs McQuaid: Round 2 - Phoenix Magazine - 30 July 2010