What the papers say: Wednesday's front pages

Eva Osborne

Here are the stories making headlines this Wednesday.

The Irish Times leads with a “clear and serious dereliction of duty” by two senior gardaí, the knowledge of abuse within a Waterford political dynasty, and the historical blindness of the Irish State towards child abuse, all being detailed in a Commission of Investigation report into the crimes of the serial child sex abuser Bill Kenneally.

Survivors of prolific paedophile Bill Kenneally have criticised the Government over how it published the Commission of Investigation report into his crimes, and have called for a full public apology over how they were treated, the Irish Examiner reports.

The Echo leads with more than four in 10 Cork schools being set to see their special education teaching (SET) hours reduced next year, according to the Department of Education.

The Gov­ern­ment will have to bor­row money to pay for planned con­tri­bu­tions to long-term sav­ings funds, according to the Irish Independent.

The Irish Fiscal Advis­ory Coun­cil says over­spend­ing has left sur­pluses too small to cover the pay­ments. The watch­dog says this under­mines the aim of the funds, to set aside “risky cor­por­a­tion tax receipts rather than spend them”.

The Irish Daily Mirror leads with a man being charged with attempted murder after a knife attack in Belfast.

The Irish Daily Star reports on the night of violence in Belfast following the knife attack.

The hero who fought to stop a ser­i­ous stabbing attack in Bel­fast on Monday night has spoken out as riots sparked by the incid­ent spread across the North last night.

Matt McKi­ernan fended off the Bel­fast knife sus­pect with his son’s hur­ley. Speak­ing to the Irish Daily Mail, McKi­ernan told how he jumped out of his car and ran to help the attacker’s vic­tim.

Former Irish rugby inter­na­tional Brendan Mul­lin has been charged with steal­ing per­fume from Brown Thomas on Dub­lin’s Grafton Street, according to The Herald.

The ex-rugby star, who won 55 Irish caps between 1984 and 1995 before he went into fin­an­cial ser­vices, appeared before Judge Treasa Kelly at Dub­lin Dis­trict Court on Tuesday.