This is both a memoir of childhood trauma and a searing work of social criticism. Through his own experience of clerical abuse and his struggle with the system that allowed it to happen, the author documents an important period of social change in Ireland. The aim of the study is to situate tough personal experiences in lifeworld contexts for the purpose of changing powerful beliefs and practices.

CONTENTS: The Context of Early Childhood - A Summarized History that Shaped Irish Values from the Mid-Nineteenth Century to the Present - The House of Fear - Recruiting Junior Vocations in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise - The Special Historic Relationship of the De La Salle Order and the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise - Child Sexual Abuse in 1977/1978 Catholic Ireland - Entering the De La Salle Junior Novitiate in Castletown, Portlaoise in 1978 - The Pope's Visit to Ireland in 1979 and After - Secondary School in St Mel's College, Longford, 1979-1984 - Legal/Social Discrimination Against Gay Persons in Ireland - Further Key Themes in 1970s/1980s Ireland - Self-Injury and Active Suicidal Intent - Reconfiguring Guilt/Shame in 1990s Ireland: Struggles for Social Freedom/Equality - The Journey of Personal Recovery in a Changing Ireland - The Challenges of Confronting Childhood Sexual Abuse in Adulthood - Further Backdrop to the High Court Action in 2012 - The Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise - The Dublin Archdiocese and the Early History of De La Salle Brothers - The De La Salle Order in Dublin under Archbishop John Charles McQuaid and After - Recent Developments for the De La Salle Order and Revelations of Concealed Historic Abuses - The De La Salle Order and Other Catholic Religious Orders: Global Investment Strategies - The Current Role of the Dublin Archdiocese - The State's Role in Education: Systemic Failures in Protecting Children - Foregrounding of Charitable/Religious Patronage in Mental Health: A Critique.