Gardaí have received 522 contacts in relation to abuse in schools run by religious orders, the Garda Commissioner has said.
It follows publication of a scoping inquiry earlier this month which found there were nearly 2,400 allegations at more than 300 schools.
Gardaí issued an appeal for people with information or who those who may have witnessed abuse to come forward.
Speaking at the Policing Authority, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris gave some details of the complaints officers have received so far.
"The great majority of these are from men and the great majority of the complaints being received are in respect of sexual abuse [with] the remainder then being physical abuse," he said.
"We are commencing a process of investigation analysis of these complaints and investigation.
"There is a proportion of these cases where we do have prior knowledge of those against which the allegations have been made.
"They've previously been suspects or indeed individuals who've been convicted of offences. A proportion of them are now deceased".
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris at a meeting with the Policing Authority in Dublin, 26-9-24. Image: Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ieCommissioner Harris said there are processes to follow.
"In respect of the scoping study overall there's several bits of work for us," he said.
"I think the first one is just responding to these initial contacts and the subsequent investigation.
"We've already issued two appeals and we would reiterate that today in terms of those individuals who wish to make contact with us - either as victims or indeed witnesses - that they should do so".
Commissioner Harris added that while they wait for the terms of reference of a Commission of Investigation, "we're very conscious about the search for and the preservation of any documentation which would be useful to the commission".
