Collins was a science teacher in St Peters when allegations against him of sexual abuse involving pupils in the school dormitory were made in 1966.
[citation needed] The first report subsequent to the 1966 allegations came to Bishop Comiskey's attention within seven months of his appointment as Principal in 1988.
[1] Donal Collins was found dead in his home in County Wexford on the evening of 9 April 2010.
[2] Collins was cited in The Ferns Report[3] as one of 12 priests involved in 100 cases of child sexual abuse in the diocese between 1962 and 2002.
The Report explains that at least six priests in the Diocese of Ferns and associated with St Peters College were aware of troubling rumours concerning the reasons for Collins removal in 1966 but they did not notify Church authorities in the diocese of the potential danger posed by Collins when his appointment as Principal was suggested.