The Supreme Court has cleared the way for the trial of a former Christian Brother accused of multiple sexual offences dating back to 1961.
Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman noted the man had admitted "a significant amount of behaviour of a criminal nature" in interviews with gardaí and said that, in those parrticular circumstancs, it would be "extraordinary" to prohibit his prosecution.
However, the judge stressed the case should not be regarded as a precedent and said the situation could be very different where no such admissions were made.
The man, who had worked at the Artane Industrial school in Dublin, had failed to secure a High Court order to prevent his trial going ahead and had appealed the High Court's decision to the Supreme Court.
Giving the judgment of the three-judge Supreme Court today dismissing the man's appeal, Mr Justice Hardiman said there was no reason why the trial should not go ahead.
The man faces eight allegations of buggery, 63 charges of indecent assault and one charge of attempted buggery. The allegations date back to 1961 with the latest allegation relating to 1969.