Posted by Michael Shine is a former surgeon from Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland, who was convicted of sexually abusing young male patients over several decades. He worked at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda from 1964 until his retirement in 1995, initially as a senior registrar and later as a consultant. Shine was found guilty of indecent and sexual assault in two separate trials. In 2017, he was convicted of assaulting two teenage boys in the mid-1970s, and in 2019, he was found guilty of 13 counts of indecent assault against seven boys between 1971 and 1992. For the latter convictions, he was sentenced to four years in prison and served three years, being released in February 2022. Now in his 90s, he resides in Dublin.
Hundreds of men have claimed they were abused by Shine during his career, with much of the abuse occurring at the hospital or his private clinics in Drogheda. Over 200 victims have settled civil claims against the Medical Missionaries of Mary, the religious order that ran the hospital during Shine’s tenure. Despite allegations surfacing as early as 1994, he retired on a full pension in 1995 and was not struck off the Irish Medical Council’s register until 2008. Victims and advocacy groups, such as Dignity4Patients, have long campaigned for a public inquiry into how Shine was able to continue his abuse for so long, alleging it was an “open secret” in the community and that authorities failed to act. As of April 10, 2025, calls for a Commission of Investigation persist, but no definitive action has been taken by the government.
Victims of Michael Shine, a convicted paedophile and former surgeon from Drogheda, Ireland, have been vocal in their demand for a public inquiry into his decades-long abuse of young male patients. Shine, who worked at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital from 1964 to 1995, was found guilty of indecent and sexual assault in two trials—2017 and 2019—related to nine boys between 1971 and 1992, for which he served three years of a four-year sentence, being released in February 2022. However, hundreds of men allege they were abused by him over his career, with over 300 represented by the victim support group Dignity4Patients. These survivors argue that a public inquiry, specifically a Commission of Investigation, is essential to uncover the full extent of Shine’s actions and to investigate how health and religious authorities, including the Medical Missionaries of Mary who ran the hospital, allegedly failed to stop the abuse despite claims it was an “open secret” in the community.
The push for an inquiry has gained momentum as victims, some waiving anonymity, share their stories. For instance, in August 2024, four men—Gerard Murray, Ian Armstrong, Larry Torris, and Cian Murray—spoke publicly to The Journal, detailing their experiences and calling for accountability. Another survivor, Thomas Ayres, aged 75, came forward in April 2025, alleging abuse by Shine in 1964, marking one of the earliest known cases. Victims assert that the limited criminal convictions do not reflect the scale of the abuse, with over 200 having settled civil claims against the Medical Missionaries of Mary, yet many cases remain unprosecuted due to factors like Shine’s age and legal delays, as seen in the Director of Public Prosecutions’ decision in 2022 not to pursue 25 additional cases.There was no “Smyth Tribunal” specifically related to Michael Shine. However, it seems you might be referring to the review conducted by retired High Court Judge T.C. Smyth, often called the “Drogheda Review” or “Smyth Review,” into allegations of sexual abuse by Michael Shine. This was not a tribunal but an independent, non-statutory review commissioned in 2009 by then-Health Minister Mary Harney. The review aimed to examine the allegations against Shine, a former surgeon at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, and determine whether a full public inquiry was warranted.
The Smyth Review was completed in September 2010, but its findings have never been publicly released. According to a statement from then-Minister for Justice Helen McEntee in February 2024, Judge Smyth recommended that it would not be in the public interest, as per the review’s terms of reference, to pursue a further investigation at that time. The decision to keep the report sealed was based on legal advice from the Attorney General at the time, citing potential prejudice to ongoing or future civil and criminal proceedings. Over 140 survivors reportedly contributed their accounts to the review, with some traveling from as far as Canada to participate, yet the lack of transparency has fueled ongoing frustration among victims.
Victims and advocacy groups, such as Dignity4Patients, have criticized the suppression of the report, arguing it fails to address the systemic failures that allowed Shine to abuse hundreds of boys over decades. They contend that the review’s scope was limited—focusing primarily on hospital procedures rather than the broader roles of the Gardaí, the Northeastern Health Board, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), or the Medical Missionaries of Mary, who ran the hospital. The report’s confidentiality has been a sticking point in their campaign for a full Commission of Investigation, with survivors like Cianan Murray calling it insufficient—“a plaster over a bullet hole”—without a wider statutory inquiry.
As of April 10, 2025, the government has not published the Smyth Review. In September 2024, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly sought fresh legal advice from the Attorney General on whether it could be released, expressing a preference for transparency but noting potential legal constraints, such as redactions or consultations with affected parties. No decision has been finalized, and the push for a public inquiry continues, with victims arguing that the Smyth Review, even if released, would not fully address the scale of the abuse or the institutional accountability they seek.As of April 10, 2025, there are no confirmed pending criminal cases against Michael Shine, the former Drogheda surgeon convicted of sexually abusing young male patients. Shine, now in his 90s, was convicted in 2017 and 2019 for indecent assaults against nine boys between 1971 and 1992, serving three years of a four-year sentence before his release in February 2022. In 2022, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to proceed with 25 additional criminal cases against him, citing factors like his age, health, and the historical nature of the allegations. While a September 2024 report indicated that files on nine new allegations were sent to the DPP, there’s no public confirmation of active prosecutions stemming from these.
On the civil side, most legal actions against Shine, the Health Service Executive (HSE), and the Medical Missionaries of Mary—who ran Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital where Shine worked—have been settled. Over 200 civil claims have been resolved, with a significant batch of 112 cases settled in 2019. However, a small number of civil cases may still be ongoing, though specifics are scarce. A 2021 dispute over legal costs between the HSE and the Medical Missionaries of Mary briefly threatened some settlements, but there’s no recent evidence of unresolved claims tied to this issue. The focus for many victims has shifted to advocating for a public inquiry rather than pursuing further litigation.
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