It seems a recognised 'ultra conservative' Catholic 'pro-life' and 'anti-divorce' campaigner may have been involved in stopping the children being removed from their abusive mothers home and taken into safety. This from the Irish Herald:

"Ultra conservative Catholic campaigner Mena Bean Ui Chribin (81) is showing no remorse after been named in court as a person who contacted health officials to argue the family needed support not intrusion.

The woman for whom Bean Ui Chribin wrote a letter of backing was yesterday jailed for seven years for 10 offences including incest and the sexual assault of her young children.

The letter to the health board was sent just days after the self-confessed "worst mother in the world" secured a High Court injunction preventing children being taken into care.

[...]

And in an astonishing remark, she said that health workers could "answer for their own sins".

"Hump the lot of them," she said yesterday.

During the shocking trial, childcare manager Paddy Gannon said that he was contacted by the long-time pro-life and anti-divorce campaigner in 2000.

The communication was made around the same time that the mother got an order restraining the then Western Health Board from placing the children in the care of their maternal aunt.

Mr Gannon had no evidence that she was involved in the court application but he suspected it, the court heard."

Here is a relatively scant Timeline for key events in the case, from the Irish Times which seems to manage some sensitive reporting on the issues that this and related cases raise for Ireland in particular.