Sorry Iains
Still don't get your point
The Church and the State were hand in hand in this affair, and to an extent, still are.
Accusations of abuse were treated with contempt and disbelief by the Authorities and the church hierarchy, even though many of both were well aware of what was happening
Even parents didn't accept what was happening to the kids, so powerful was the influence of the Church
Up to the present day, the State has undertaken to bear the financial burden of the abuses being exposed - some of the religioius bodies have refused to pay anything, even the wealthy ones, and taxpayers money is being used to fill the gap
Films like The Magdelene Girls, and the one on the Industrial schools based on Patrick Galvin's trilogy did more to expose the facts than did the establishment
A similar job was done in Canada with 'The Boys of St Vincents"
DeValera's dream of Ireland couldn't cope with all this - brave investigative journalists did what the State should have been doing
I honestly can't think of one prominent clerical whistleblower - though there must have been some.
Jim Carroll