A court has heard that the religious order which runs Terenure College in Dublin was made aware that one of their teachers had abused a student in the 1990s.

John McClean, of Casimir Avenue in Harold’s Cross is awaiting sentence for abusing 23 boys while working as a teacher at the school between 1973 and 1990.

Over the past two days, the court has been listening to how he abused them in his classroom, office, the school’s concert hall and physio room.

The private fee-paying catholic school is run by the Order of the Carmelites.

Today, the court heard a complaint of abuse against McClean was made to the principal in 1979; however, no action was taken, aside from removing him from his role as costume fitter for the school plays.

In 1996, one of the boy’s fathers went to the then head of the Prior Provincial of the Irish Province of Carmelites, Father Robert Kelly, with another complaint of abuse.

A note of a meeting between Father Kelly and McClean at the time revealed that the now 76-year-old admitted the allegation.

McClean was not allowed return to the school after that but the court heard there was no record of a complaint being made to Gardaí at that time.

Father Kelly later told Gardaí he had no “specific memory” of the admission at the time but he said: “If it’s in the notes, then it’s true.”

McClean has pleaded guilty to 27 counts of indecent assault against 23 former students of Terenure College between 1973 and 1990.

He apologised to them today, and told them they shouldn’t blame themselves for what he did to them.

He will be sentenced next week.

Reporting from Frank Greaney