Protestant children from a County Wicklow orphanage were allegedly used for unpaid labor in Northern Ireland according to Northern Minister for Regional Development Danny Kennedy, who has called for an investigation by the team conducting an ongoing inquiry into historical institutional child abuse.
According to the Irish Times Kennedy has written to the office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland requesting that the Westbank Home in Greystones, County Wicklow be included in any investigations carried out under the remit of the Northern Ireland Executive inquiry into historical institutional abuse.
'There is a clear need to fully investigate the issues of concern prevalent in respect of this institution, including reports of children suffering a combination of physical and sexual abuse,' Kennedy reportedly wrote.
'It would also appear there were unregulated movements of children back and forth over the Border which resulted in them being exploited as unpaid labour in Northern Ireland,' he added.
'I have been advised that a practice of unregulated fostering arrangements which resulted in children being sent to families in Northern Ireland emanated from activities carried out at Westbank Home and, whilst it has not been determined if any relevant statutory body or institution in either the Irish Republic or Northern Ireland was aware of these illegal movements or 'fostering' of children, it is . . . apparent that these matters require full and thorough investigation.
'I believe it is necessary for the Westbank Home institution to be included as part of the investigations currently being undertaken by the inquiry authorised by the Northern Ireland Executive,' Kennedy wrote.
Westbank was a privately run orphanage for Protestant children that was run by Adeline Mathers from 1946 to 1999 and was the subject of an national news and current affairs program last year.
The program heard from a former resident at the home, Colm Begley who claimed he was regularly beaten, frequently went hungry and was injected as a punishment and 'treatment' for wetting the bed.
However Dorothy McKeown, a woman who spoke to the program, said she went to the home at the age of two and her memories were positive.
'My childhood was normal. I always remember auntie telling us we weren’t orphans, because she was our mum and God was our father.'
The Northern Ireland Executive has not yet announced if it will investigate the allegations made about the establishment as part of its inquiry into historical institutional child abuse.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.seanomelb | May 19, 2012, 07:35 PM EDT
Very good Jacer most amusing.
jacersagain | May 19, 2012, 06:16 PM EDT
Seano, hic - tripey postings arise when ya hic have too many triple tipples. Ease up there oul pal.. hic
jacersagain | May 19, 2012, 06:14 PM EDT
Seano, triple postings arise when ya have too many tipples. Ease up there oul pal.. hic
jacersagain | May 19, 2012, 06:14 PM EDT
Seano, triple postings arise when ya have too many tipples. Ease up there oul pal..
seanomelb | May 18, 2012, 07:59 PM EDT
Have troble posting,hence the triple replies
IrelandNorth | May 18, 2012, 09:31 AM EDT
Orthodox Christianity has been the ruination of Ireland. Theobald Wolfe Tone, Protestant Patriarch of the Society of United Irishmen, 1798 proposed to Unite Catholics, Protestants and Dissenters in the common name or Irishmen. A noble aspiration surely. A preliminary manoeuvre might be to Unite Irishmen in the common name of Dissenters.
seanomelb | May 17, 2012, 07:44 PM EDT
Thank you Dano and jacersagain for the info I hope you have broadened bythebay's knowledge.
seanomelb | May 17, 2012, 07:42 PM EDT
I hope Dano and Jacersagain have broadened your horizons bythebay.
seanomelb | May 17, 2012, 07:39 PM EDT
Thank you Dano.
jacersagain | May 17, 2012, 04:34 PM EDT
What seanomelb refers to as an orphanage in Nth Ireland that was the centre of child abuse stories was the Kincora Boys Home. Google it for all the revelations of child abuse that was swept under the carpet. Unionist politicians and Govt Ministers from Stormont, RUC officers, Court Judges, Orange Order members (including leading members of the time) and many others took part in sexually abusing the orphan boys at the invitation of the Boys Home four trustees. There was even an allegation that the reason Lord Mountbatten, uncle of Prince Philip, husband of the UK’s Queen, who was known to “enjoy” boys while Viceroy of Burma and Governor General of India, was assassinated by the IRA in Sligo’s Mullaghmore Harbour was because he too secretly abused children in Kincora Boys Home (don’t forget that the IRA had Protestant members too). There was an official inquiry into the allegations but it was swept aside by the powers that were of the time for fear of naming well-known people, still alive, of Unionist persuasion. Some junior level staff members of the home were convicted but it is widely believed that these were the fall guys for what really went on. But you can get the abuse survivors’ stories with some research online. And yes, some of them were said to be from the Greystones orphanage. Few of the children of that home ever got true details of who they were or why they ended up as 'orphans' there. More "under the carpet stuff" for the poor victims.
DanOLoingsigh | May 17, 2012, 04:16 PM EDT
seanomelb - You may be thinking of Kincora...if so there were many allegations, some proven...and three staff were convicted in the early 80's...
DanOLoingsigh | May 17, 2012, 03:44 PM EDT
George – My oh my…Your quote is from a letter to the paper by former residents…If you had spent ‘more than a moment’ trying to establish the facts you may have found the following ‘The Westbank was an orphanage run by Adeline Mathers from 1946 to 1999 and over 50 children passes through its doors. It is widely believed locally that it is funded by the Brethren Church with strong links to the Portadown area of Northern Ireland. The trustees have not assisted the former residents in their quest for information about their time in Westbank.’ So, through no fault of their own, former residents do not have all the facts…it seems that The Westbank was a private orphanage, with no connection to established churches, perhaps the ‘and/or’ in the quote was a clue…and your initial quote ‘These folks were Anglicans’ is not true…so no prizes again, George…
Bythebay | May 17, 2012, 02:11 PM EDT
seanomelb in Australia, of course you'd be reminded of an unnamed Protestant orphanage in Northern Ireland where boys were raped by British politicians. More fairy tales from Oz.
Bythebay | May 17, 2012, 02:08 PM EDT
seanomelb in Australia, dumbo right back at you. The home was under the auspices of the Irish Government mate and was subject to Irish Government standards for its administration and services. No doubt unknown cdoncepts in convict established Australia.
GeorgeDillon | May 17, 2012, 12:39 PM EDT
As always, OLoinsih is an inveterate liar. A moment's googling yielded this from the Examiner newspaper: "A number of religious denominations large and small, from the Church of Ireland to Presbyterians, Methodists, Free Presbyterians, Baptists, Plymouth Brethren, gospel halls, and the Orange Order, were involved in directing unmarried mothers to, and/or raising funds for, Bethany and Westbank. This diffuse association makes it possible for churches to deny specific responsibility for what went on." ---You're a worthless bigot and liar, OLoingsigh.
DanOLoingsigh | May 17, 2012, 04:56 AM EDT
GeorgeDillon - Try doing some research before posting...and you will see that the owner was a Born-Again Christian who accepted no funding from the State or mainstream churches. Residents spoke of a cult-like, God-fearing atmosphere in the house....sounds a bit like your place?
Murph46 | May 16, 2012, 09:46 PM EDT
Hey Sean ,think that's what scrambled bythebay's mind?
seanomelb | May 16, 2012, 06:44 PM EDT
Hey!! Dumbo (bythebay)it was a privately run protestant home.I am reminded of an orphanage in the north(some years ago) which was accused of allowing "visitors" from Britain including politician to rape young boys,Somehow this was swept under the carpet never to be spoken of again.
Bythebay | May 16, 2012, 01:58 PM EDT
There's no mention anyone was Anglican. The orphanage was run by the Irish Government in County Wicklow. The children in question Protestant children in that orphanage.
Murph46 | May 16, 2012, 01:48 PM EDT
They were used to build the byethebay mansion!
Murph46 | May 16, 2012, 01:30 PM EDT
I think that the recollections of children can be very different, depending on how each was treated. Perhaps it was just certain children who were mistreated....in any case, I think it bears investigation....
Bythebay | May 16, 2012, 12:20 PM EDT
Who in Northern Ireland used them as slaves, Catholics? When did this happen?
Searlit | May 16, 2012, 12:04 PM EDT
It should be investigated.
GeorgeDillon | May 16, 2012, 12:00 PM EDT
Eiriamach and other Catholic-haters note: These folks were Anglicans.
Murph46 | May 16, 2012, 10:44 AM EDT
Is this your NI byethebay?