Abuse survivor Louise O'Keeffe says she was happy to hear today that the Taoiseach is offering her an apology for what she has suffered.

The State fought the Cork woman in the courts for 15 years over liability for the sexual abuse that she suffered at the hands of her school principal Leo Hickey in the 1970s.

On Tuesday the European Court of Human Rights found that the Department of Education was liable and had failed to protect her, saying the obligation to protect her "had not been met when the Irish State...continued to entrust the management of the primary education of the vast majority of young Irish children to National Schools, without putting in place any mechanism of effective State control against the risks of such abuse occurring".

The court ruled in her favour by 11 votes to 6.

Ms. O'Keeffe was abused at Dunderrow National School near Kinsale in 1973 when she was aged 9. Leo Hickey was later jailed and also paid Louise damages following a civil action.

Hickey was jailed for three years and was ordered to pay Ms. O'Keeffe over €300,000 in damages in a civil action.

Louise O'Keeffe says the apology from Taoiseach Enda Kenny is welcome.

Earlier, Mr. Kenny says the judgement is exceptionally complex and will be studied by the government. However he apologised for the horrendous experience Ms. O'Keeffe had to go through.

Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Kathleen Lynch, told Newstalk Lunchtime earlier the wider implications of the case will be considered at a Cabinet meeting next Tuesday.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore also joined with the Taoiseach to apologise in the Dáil this morning.