Earlier this week Edmund Garvey, the former head of the Christian Brothers, launched a judicial review against Louth County Council and Drogheda Borough District to challenge a vote by Councillors to remove the Freedom of Drogheda from him. Today he announced that he intends to drop the challenge.
At its September meeting, the members of The Borough District of Drogheda voted to no longer acknowledge the freedom of Drogheda that was bestowed on the former head of the Christian Brothers in 1997.
The Chief Executive of Louth County Council, Joan Martin, told councillors at the September meeting, that she had serious doubts as to whether or not it was within their powers to rescind the honour granted to Mr. Garvey.
There followed a very contentious and divisive debate with some Councillors, Kevin Callan, Mayor Eileen Tully among them, defending Mr. Garvey’s good name saying he personally had done nothing wrong.
Other councillors conceded that point but argued that he was the head of an organisation whose members had caused major hurt to innocent boys in their charge at Christian Brothers schools throughout the country.
Councillor Joanna Byrne said she had spoken with people who had strong objections to the proposed rescinding of the freedom of Edmund Garvey but she was voting in favour so that victims of Christian Brother abuse could find closure.
Councillor Paddy McQuillan agreed with Joanna Byrne saying it was a very emotive issue and we are not here to assassinate anyone’s character. We must vote as we see fit and then draw a line under this issue and move on.
The vote was the result of a strenuous campaign conducted by survivors of sexual abuse inflicted on them by members of the Christian Brothers and to highlight the legal strategy adopted when Brother Garvey was head of the congregation, which makes it difficult advance civil cases against individual brothers.
