Former Irish Priest Richard Brennan Jailed for Repeated Sexual Abuse of Sisters Over Seven Years

By M10News Crime Desk | 14, July 2025

A former Dublin priest has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the prolonged and systematic sexual abuse of his three sisters during the 1970s and 1980s.

Richard Brennan, 64, a former seminarian who later moved to the United States, admitted to 24 historic offences, including six counts of rape and 18 of indecent assault.

The crimes were committed against his sisters Paula Fay, Catherine Wrightstone and Yvonne Crist between 1978 and 1985 at various locations in Ireland.

The court heard that Brennan began sexually abusing his sister Catherine when she was just nine years old. He was training for the priesthood at Clonliffe College at the time. In deeply distressing evidence, Ms Wrightstone recalled that her brother told her, “This is my job” and “this is what brothers do” during one of the assaults.

Brennan’s sentencing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Monday followed his guilty plea in June, entered nine days into his trial. Judge David Keane imposed a nine-year custodial sentence with one year suspended. All sentences will run concurrently.

Judge Keane acknowledged Brennan’s late guilty plea and a letter of apology submitted in June, in which the former priest expressed “sorrow” for his actions and referenced the “generational harm” he had caused.

However, Brennan also attempted to shift blame onto his older brother Bernard, 67, who himself pleaded guilty earlier this year to 11 counts of indecent assault against the same sisters between 1972 and 1975. Richard Brennan claimed Bernard had also abused him and had encouraged his behaviour.

The court was told that Brennan justified his actions by saying he was sexually frustrated while studying for the priesthood and had begged his sisters for sex during periods when their parents were away from home.

Prosecuting counsel Fiona Murphy SC outlined that many of the offences occurred at the family home in Anne Devlin Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. Ms Crist, appearing via video link from the US, described two attempted sexual assaults by Brennan in 1979 and 1989.

During one incident, Brennan reportedly told Ms Crist, “Yvonne, you can trust me, just let me do it.” She threatened to call the police, prompting him to leave.

Ms Fay detailed how Brennan began abusing her when she was around 14 or 15. In one attack, she awoke in her bed to find him beside her. He shushed her to remain quiet, pinned her down, and sexually assaulted her.

She testified that Brennan told her afterwards he would no longer be able to engage in such acts as he was soon to be ordained. He then handed her her underwear and told her to clean up before he left the room.

Brennan was at the time regularly returning from the seminary during the summer holidays. Ms Fay described another incident in which he crawled across the floor of her bedroom “like a snake” and said he needed her to “satisfy his urges.”

She said she tried to mentally escape the situation while he pleaded for intercourse and promised to withdraw. After the assault, Brennan told her how grateful he was.

Ms Fay also described being assaulted downstairs in her parents’ bedroom between the ages of 16 and 17. She recalled closing her eyes and trying to block out what was happening as he asked again for intercourse and said she was “doing him a favour.”

She was raped twice more in similar circumstances. On the final occasion, when Brennan again crawled into her room, she screamed at him, telling him it would not happen again.

Ms Wrightstone, the youngest sister, said the first assault she endured occurred shortly after her ninth birthday in June 1980 while still in her school uniform. Brennan performed oral sex on her and told her not to tell anyone, warning that the family would be “torn apart.”

During sentencing, all three sisters delivered harrowing victim impact statements. Ms Wrightstone condemned Brennan for using his role in the Church as a cover. “You hid behind the Church’s mantle like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, masking menace with meekness and depravity with sanctity,” she told the court.

The court also heard that Brennan’s criminal behaviour continued after his brother Bernard had moved out. Ms Crist described being alone in the house with Brennan when he attempted to assault her and how she had to resist forcibly.

In a particularly distressing detail, Brennan reportedly told Ms Fay after an assault that he felt “so good” and that she had “no idea” what it meant to him. He continually begged her and portrayed his behaviour as a desperate emotional need.

Despite his apology letter, Brennan was heavily criticised for his attempts to justify his actions and for trying to deflect responsibility onto his brother. The prosecution rejected these justifications, highlighting the predatory nature of his actions and the calculated use of his religious training as a smokescreen.

Following sentencing, Richard Brennan was led from the dock in silence. His brother Bernard is already serving his prison sentence in connection with similar abuse.

This case is among a growing number of historic abuse prosecutions in Ireland as victims come forward and judicial authorities pursue long-standing allegations of intra-familial and institutional sexual abuse.

Editing by M10News Crime Desk | Contact: crime@m10news.com
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