A historic report revealing decades of unpunished sexual abuse across hundreds of Ireland's religiously-run schools was published at the beginning of the month. Nearly 2,400 allegations were listed, and hundreds have been made since its release. Most of the allegations come from records of 42 religious orders that currently or previously operated schools in Ireland, with incidents spanning from 1927 to 2013.

The Catholic Church has long been closely tied to the Irish state. Despite losing much of its political influence in the 1970s, its grip on Irish society can still be felt in many aspects, including education. Last year over half of Ireland's pupils were enrolled in Catholic schools.

The hold that religious orders have on schools makes the report's results sadly predictable, albeit still horrific: several other European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Poland have shed light on similar cases in the past few years. The publication of this report is also the latest development in a series of inquiries into the Catholic Church's dark history in Ireland.