The Marino affair unleashed a flood of allegations, writes Seán Flynn, Education Editor.
About 150 students graduate annually from the Christian Brothers- controlled teacher training college at Marino Institute of Education (MIE) on Dublin's tree-lined Griffith Avenue.
It is not the kind of place which would normally make front-page headlines and spark a media frenzy. But all of that was to change when Ms Caoimhe Máirtín resigned as head of Coláiste Mhuire, the teacher training college at Marino, in April.
Ms Máirtín accepted a High Court settlement of €500,000 from the Christian Brothers.
Her resignation was the culmination of a 12-month battle for control at Marino, in which she was allegedly bullied and subjected to psychological abuse.
In a letter to a senior member of the Christian Brothers - written before her resignation - she describes an atmosphere of fear and intimidation at Marino among members of the community there.
"Why are they now frightened, confused, damaged and distressed? Why is all of this happening? Why are the brothers allowing it to happen? Why have these people been refused the opportunity to meet with the brothers and tell their story?" she asks in her letter.
The Máirtín resignation unleashed a flood of allegations about property deals and the possible misuse of State funds. There were suggestions that State funds were used to build new apartments for the Christian Brothers at Marino.
The former INTO general secretary, Senator Joe O'Toole, said he was ready to name names.
The temperature was further raised when Mr O'Toole uncovered evidence of a "planned and structured" plot to undermine Caoimhe Máirtín.
Speaking in the Seanad, he said he had uncovered an e-mail sent by Dermod Dwyer, of the property development company Treasury Holdings, who sits on the MIE board.
"I have come across an e-mail which says to members of the board, slowly slowly catchy monkey," Mr O'Toole said.
In a subsequent statement, Mr Dwyer stated he had "not seen the correspondence referred to, nor has he any knowledge of its content or context".
He said that to his knowledge there never was a plan, "as mischievously alleged".
So what exactly was going on at Marino?
Caoimhe Máirtín may have been a hugely respected figure, synonymous with the transformation and growth of Marino, but her capacity to exercise real power was very limited.
This was because Coláiste Mhuire, the teacher training college, is only one component of the Marino Institute of Education controlled by the Christian Brothers. This is run by a director, overseen by a governing body and trustees.
Her problems appear to have started when she began asking what were seen by some as awkward questions about the running of the college. In particular, she believed the college did not have transparent procedures required for an institution in receipt of about €4 million in public money per year.
In a series of meetings dating back to August of last year, Ms Máirtín briefed senior Department of Education officials - including Paul Kelly, an assistant secretary - about the bullying and harassment of herself and other staff members at Marino.
But she made no specific allegation about any financial impropriety at the college.
Despite this, Minister for Education Mary Hanafin ordered an inquiry into the use of State funds at Marino, the results of which were published yesterday.
Among some, the results of the inquiry support the view of one MIE board member, who maintains that some of the allegations made in the controversy were "beneath contempt".
Dr Howard Smith, the TCD nominee on the Marino board, has described the allegations levelled against some board members - including Mr Dwyer - as "absolutely despicable", and claimed that allegations of financial impropriety were "positively mischievous."
The inquiry did not examine Ms Máirtín's allegations of bullying and harassment. For their part, the Christian Brothers have still to explain why they agreed to the large High Court settlement for Caoimhe Máirtín in the first instance.