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In Wake Of Docu Series, Baltimore Priest's Time In Ireland Investigated

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Following the release of the Netflix series, "The Keepers," which documents allegations of widespread sex abuse by a Baltimore priest, his time in Ireland is being investigated.

As first reported by The Irish Times, Father Joseph Maskell moved to Ireland when those allegations first surfaced in the 1990s, and now that country's Health Service Executive is looking into how he spent his time there.

In the 60s and 70s, Maskell was a counselor at Archbishop Keough High School. He has been accused of molesting dozens of students during that time, and as WJZ investigations have revealed, some of his alleged victims think the abuse relates to the 1969 murder of a nun who also worked at the school, Sister Cathy Cesnik.

"She confronted him and she lost her life for it," says Teresa Lancaster.

Netflix released a seven-part series delving into those allegations in May.

Since then, general interest in the case has increased. The Baltimore Police Department created an online submission form for sex offenses related to the series. The Baltimore Sun reports the Anne Arundel County police have received numerous calls about another murder "The Keepers" discusses.

And now, The Irish Times reports, Maskell's employment as a psychologist by Wexford, Ireland's South Eastern Health Board from April 1995 to November 1995 is being reviewed by authorities there. Maskell also worked as a psychologist in private practice in Wexford and nearby Castlebridge from 1995 to 1998.

Maskell, who died in 2001, always denied the allegations against him.

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