A victim of child sex abuse in Ireland is taking legal action against Cardinal Sean Brady, claiming he knew that pedophile Fr. Brendan Smyth abused her and did not pass on the information to the proper authorities.

The woman is suing Brady both personally and in his capacity as Primate of the Catholic Church in Ireland.

The Sunday Independent reports that Brady was one of three clergymen who interviewed the woman and another victim in 1975 about her years of abuse at the hands of Smyth from 1970-1975.

After the interviews, the two victims signed confidentiality agreements not to divulge any information about the meetings to anyone except their own approved priests.

Fr. Brendan Smyth was one of Ireland's worst child abusers with victims in Ireland, the UK and America. He went on to abuse innocent children until his arrest in the 1990s.

The Catholic Information Office released a statement confirming that Brady attended two of the 1975 interviews, recording proceedings at one and recording and asking questions at the other, in his role as part time secretary to then Bishop of Kilmore Francis McKiernan

The statement goes on to say that Brady passed on his findings "as a matter of urgency" to Bishop McKiernan for action.

The other two defendants named in the lawsuit are Head of the Norbertine Order Fr. Gerard Cusack and Bishop Leo O'Reilly of Lismore.

Smyth was a member of the Norbertine Order, which is located in County Cavan in the diocese of Lismore.