A former sports coach has pleaded guilty to five charges of historical sexual assault but has denied dozens of other similar allegations made against him.
The man, who cannot be identified, was charged with 79 offences alleged to have taken place between 1971 and 1981 at various locations in Leinster.
All but one count relate to allegations of indecently assaulting four young girls aged between eight and 15 at the time.
The remaining charge is the attempted rape of one of the girls in 1975 when she was 12 years old.
The trial opened at the Central Criminal Court today with each of the charges put to the accused for arraignment.
The man in his 70s pleaded guilty to five sample counts in relation to the indecent assault of one girl between May and Sept 1976.
He replied “not guilty” to each of the remaining 74 counts as they were read out in court.
Prosecuting counsel James Dwyer SC told the jury the accused “exploited his position of authority” as a coach by “abusing girls entrusted in his care”.
Mr Dwyer said the alleged abuse took place in various locations including the accused man’s car, changing rooms, in some of their beds and in his house when one of the girls was babysitting his children.
He said for one of the complainants the abuse happened “weekly” ranging from inappropriate touching, “teaching her how to kiss” and forcing her to perform oral sex on him.
The former coach has denied 29 counts in relation to this complainant but did plead guilty to five counts of indecently assaulting her today.
The man is accused of the attempted rape of a 12-year-old girl in the summer of 1975 and it is also alleged he sexually assaulted this girl on the way home from training when he drove her to a derelict house and touched her inappropriately.
It is alleged he abused two other girls by inappropriately touching them.
The man in his seventies has denied these allegations.
The trial is continuing before a jury of six men and six women and is expected to last for up to three weeks.