[2][4] He was detained in this industrial school for eight years[2][4] where he was allegedly raped and beaten repeatedly.
[2] He was in the audience for Questions and Answers on 25 May 2009 when he confronted Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey about the way the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse had treated survivors of the industrial schools, pointing out that the allegedly non-adversarial process had involved him being accused of lying.
[4] He said the government should change the constitution so that the assets of the religious orders who ran the industrial schools could be frozen.
[4] He had been detained in St Joseph's Industrial School, Clonmel[4] The audience applauded him for speaking out.
[2] The presenter John Bowman said that Michael O'Briens' speech was the most memorable moment in 23 years of the show.