Eamon Casey 1927 -
The resignation of Eamon Casey, Roman Catholic Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Apostolic administrator of Kilfenora in 1992 is widely regarded as the pivotal moment when the Hierarchy lost its near de facto control over the sociology and politics of the Republic of Ireland.
In comparison to the far more serious crimes of other Irish priests that became known around the same time, his offence was relatively trivial. He had had a long intimate relationship with an American divorcée since at least 1973 and together they had had a son. It is alleged that he used church funds to fulfil his maintenance obligations; whether this was with or without the knowledge of his colleagues remains a matter of conjecture. In the eyes of the Church, therefore, his offence was one of "causing a scandal" - meaning that he had been found out. To Irish public opinion, the original offence of hypocrisy had been compounded by a collective hypocrisy by the Hierarchy: this was yet another example of the "double-think" that had led to the protection of child abusers and the existence of the Magdalen Laundries.
The issue had particular resonance because Dr. Casey was popular and respected. He was seen as a progressive, a welcome change in a Galway Diocese that had been dominated for many years by the arch-conservative Michael Browne (Bishop from 1937 to 1976). Dr Casey was particularly well known for having taken the side of the Dunnes Stores' staff who were locked out from 1982 to 1986 for refusing to sell goods from apartheid South Africa.
Dr Casey was Bishop of Kerry from 1969 to 1976. After his resignation, he went as a missionary to Ecuador and has spent his later years as a parish priest in a city on the south coast of England.