Calls for Minister and state agencies to address failures in Kyran Durnin case as search continues in Dundalk

Aontú leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín has written to the Cathaoirleach of the Children’s Committee requesting that the Minister for Children, Tusla and CAHMS to be invited to appear before the Children’s Committee to discuss the failures within State Care services in the Kyran Durnin case and the 227 deaths of children in state care or known to state care in the last 10 years. 

Deputy Tóibín stated:

“Taoiseach, the Kyran Durnin case has shocked the country to the core. This is a tragic and dark case that asks serious questions of the state. Taoiseach, how can a vulnerable child go missing for two years?  How can a child just disappear for 2 years. How broken is the State Care system that we are not talking about an intervention here but the potential murder of a child.

“The political establishment has expressed shock and disbelief at what has happened to Kyran. But the truth is, Kyran is just one of 227 children who have died while in care or known to state care in the last 10 years. Of these 227 children, 11 were murdered, a further 3 children have died due to suspected non-accidental injury and a further child due to ‘suspected homicide’. 40 of the children died by suicide. Eight died from drug overdoses, 16 from road traffic accidents and 18 by other accidents”.

“I want to reference some of the National Review Panel reports, because I feel they actually speak for themselves. The children who died have been ascribed pseudonyms.

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The report on the death of ‘Hugh’, published in 2018, highlights how he was referred to CAMHS but was left without treatment due to a CAMHS policy whereby young people who are using drugs or alcohol are not eligible for service. Hugh died aged sixteen from a drug overdose”.

He continued: “Will you demand that the Minister for Children, Tusla and CAMHS are brought to the Children’s Committee to lift the lid on a state system that has failed Kyran Durnin and hundreds of other children?”

Taoiseach Simon Harris expressed deep sorrow and shock at the tragic case saying that the disappearance of Kyran, who was missing for two years, is not a political issue but a matter of basic humanity. Harris highlighted the ongoing investigation led by An Garda Síochána, urging anyone with information to come forward. He noted that a murder investigation is under way, and the community in Louth has been deeply affected by the case.

Harris also confirmed that Tusla, Ireland's Child and Family Agency, is involved, and the case has been referred to the National Review Panel to examine the circumstances surrounding Kyran’s death. He stressed the importance of allowing state agencies the necessary space to conduct their investigations fully.

While supporting Deputy Tóibín’s broader concerns about children in care, Harris assured the public that Tusla prepares an absence management plan for children in care to manage risks when they go missing, a point he plans to address further.