Desmond Connell was ordained priest by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid on 19 May 1951. He served as Archbishop of Dublin from March 1988 to April 2004 - immediately before the present incumbent Diarmuid Martin. (He was appointed Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in February 2001). The then retired Cardinal was heavily criticised in the Report by Judge Murphy in November 2009 on how authorities in the Archdiocese had dealt with allegations of child abuse.
Cardinal Connell had in fact, tried to balance the needs of genuine victims of child abuse against the rights of accused priests to be considered innocent until proven guilty. (His successsor was to ignore the latter consideration).
In an article in the Irish Times on 9 April 2002, Frank McNally wrote:
Dr Connell's final riposte as he left the room was almost a cry of pain. "You people," he began, before correcting himself with a sigh. "I'm very sorry, I shouldn't say 'you people'. But you come along and treat us as if we were utterly indifferent to what was going on. And I have gone through agonies over this thing."
Archbishop Desmond Connell on the Media, Politicians and the Church - 15 February 1996
Archbishop Connell - Irish Times 22 December 1997
Father Ivan Payne and Archbishop Connell - January 1998
Connell - Hostility to Church - Irish Times Nov 1998
Church of Ireland Gazette `Astonished' Partner Travels with Ahern, Irish Times - 11 December 1998
Cardinal Defends Marriage (Bertie Ahern and Celia Larkin) - 15 May 2001
Cardinal Apologises For Remarks on Church of Ireland Archbishop Empey - 1 November 2001
Connell - I Am As Human As Any of You - Irish Times 9 April 2002
Connell's Calvary, Sunday Business Post - 14 April 2002
Cardinal's Apology 'Pretaliation' as per Liam Reid in Sunday Tribune - 6 October 2002
Cardinal Connell's Statement following Prime Time Programme [Cardinal Secrets], 18 October 2002
Cardinal Visited Priests in Prison - 31 October 2002
Calls for Resignation of Cardinal Connell Rejected - 14 December 2002
Retirement of Cardinal Connell - Biographies of Desmond Connell and Diarmuid Martin - 26 April 2004
Philosopher and Private Man who Rose to be Archbishop by Patsy McGarry, Irish Times - 27 April 2004
Cardinal Willing To Go to Jail Rather Than Release Files - 7 February 2008
How Cardinal Became a Magnet for Controversy, Irish Independent - David Quinn - 8 February 2008
Cardinal Desmond Connell vs Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Irish Independent - 9 February 2008
Why is Cardinal Cover-up Still Enjoying Retirement? - The Murphy Report - 27 November 2009
Fr Tony Walsh: Former Priest Accused of Abusing Child as an Altar Boy - 28 October 2010
Fr Tony Walsh: Court Told of Discrepancies in Dates of Alleged Sexual Assaults - 29 October 2010
Fr Tony Walsh: Judge Rules Ex-Priest Not Guilty on Two Charges in Abuse Trial - 30 October 2010
Fr Tony Walsh: Ex-Priest Jailed for 16 Years - 6 December 2010
Fr Tony Walsh: Victim Impact Statements - 7 December 2010
Fr Tony Walsh: Cruel Crimes of the Singing Priest by Patsy McGarry - 11 December 2010