The social structure that allowed for forced labor and misery in Magdalene Laundries to occur is part of the Irish psyche, according to Sunday's Irish Independent Op Ed.
Writing for the newspaper, journalist Emer O’Kelly states that the Irish society should feel guilty for perpetuating a system that allowed for women to be sent to Magdalene Laundries.
“The stigma is ours, and ours alone, to be shared by all of us except the women victimized and brutalized by Irish society as a whole. That the women could have perceived themselves as bearing a stigma for their incarceration reflects on us, not on them,” O’Kelly states.
“The catalogue of miseries Ireland has inflicted on the helpless and hopeless over the generations since independence is as long as it is sickening. With each new revelation, each parading of repressed grief and hurt, each dreadful witness to our inhumanity, we have squirmed and exempted ourselves from blame.”
Last Tuesday Irish leader Enda Kenny apologized to an estimated 10,000 women who were forced into unpaid labor from 1922 to 1996.
Delivering an official apology in the Irish parliament, he told the women and their families, “This is a national shame for which I say again I am deeply sorry and offer my full and heartfelt apologies.”
According to O’Reilly, one of the short fallings of the Senator Martin McAleese’ 1,000 page report was to suggest women were self-referred to the laundries.
“Was a destitute woman thrown on the street by her parents "willing" when her choice was between selling herself or a hell-hole of slave labour?
“Was a motherless child "willing" when a Catholic priest took her from the care of her widowed father because to have her free in society left her open to "moral hazard"?
Read more: Magdalene survivors call for fair compensation package ahead of Irish government meeting
“If every woman still alive who was ever locked in one of those dark, fearful places was a prostitute; if every woman there had given birth to children "out of wedlock", there should still be no "stigma". They were human, that's all: human like the rest of us. And they were ignorant of the world and its ways, the ignorance as enforced as was their incarceration.”
O’Reilly describes Irish society in the past as a closed society: “an engineered regimentation of the population that described ignorance as innocence, and equated deprivation with purity and nobility of soul: the essence of fascism.”
The column described a joyless Ireland during the Magdalene years when the Church had a stronghold over the country and highlights the terrible conditions they were forced to work under.
“The women in the laundries had their identities denied: given new names, or merely numbers, never to be addressed as they had been in the world.
“The women were forbidden to speak while at work; and work lasted from the early morning Mass …until they retired, exhausted, malnourished and blue with cold.
“Their slave labor contributed to the coffers of Church and State. And they suffered incessant humiliation and punishment for their very existence.”
O’Reilly states that we are all culpable for our inaction to allow such things to occur.
“We fail to get down on our collective knees and say to those we have hurt and betrayed that every element of Irish society is almost equally guilty: none of us has a right to wash our hands of our history.
“That is why the religious orders are, in my opinion, far more blameworthy than the State itself, or even the families who committed their sisters and daughters, or allowed the church to do so on their behalf.”
O’Reilly concluded that the Irish population must ensure that Magdalene Survivors get adequate compensation.
“We, the people, who are the State, must ensure reparation is made by those responsible for what our society became: the weapon of malignant oppression of the women for whom the Taoiseach wept last Tuesday.”
Read more: Irish leader Enda Kenny issues state apology to Magdalene Laundries survivors - VIDEO
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.mreinhar2001 | Mar 02, 2013, 12:00 AM EST
The Protestant sects that did the same thing also owe their own debt for "brutalizing Irish society."
anglo-norman | Mar 01, 2013, 10:55 PM EST
misswhisp-Were you there when he performed these so-called miracles?
aloistmartin | Mar 01, 2013, 10:08 PM EST
" When the truth is is that youse hang onto the notion that youse belong to the imbred Royal Family of England,A family so steeped in mass murder an child abuse i begs the question,How are the unionists to society super leaders,When your people find it so hard to let go of the Royal aprin strings of the past,Those very aprin strings that helped your people try an turn the catholics into second class citizens??honestly you should look at your own peoples past before you look at mine,Lets face facts here the Royals have used your people just to cause division in my country,Now they are finished with youse as your role is coming to an end,An as for the unionists running the show,will ye come on,for godsake sure the unionists will be in the minority in the north in the not to distant future,Youse should jion a UI an become irish citizens an loose all your superiority complex about been better than other people,Because i tell you one thing youse are not better ... The Catholic Church needs to repent for continuosly brutilizing youg innocent children " ... ? Peace, Prosperity, and Reform ? Doh !
falconflash | Mar 01, 2013, 07:59 PM EST
Want money? Get a job.
IrelandNorth | Mar 01, 2013, 02:59 PM EST
RTÉ's new breakfast time TV programme "First Edition" had Niall Meehan of the Survivors Group of the Anglican run Bethany House Mother & Child Home in Rathgar, Dublin 6. He was left there as a child of 18 months in 1960. Fostered out to abusive parents, and left for England at 18 yrs with IR£10 in his pocket. He's now 71, and wrote two books about the subject. He made a very well argued case for inclusion of Bethany Hse in the Magdalen Launderies compo. Affably pugnacious, he protested that just because he's Protestant doesn't make him any less of an Irish nationalist.
ancavker | Mar 01, 2013, 10:55 AM EST
Falls: That could be true regarding the Church replacing ENgland as parent. I am curious though what occurred prior to independence in realation to unwed Mothers and all of that? Was the church just as harsh at that time? I don't think the English authorities cared one way or the other, as long as the church kept the Irish people in line etc. I am trying to conduct some research on this topic but having little luck in my endeavors.
ancavker | Mar 01, 2013, 10:51 AM EST
Falls: I really do not see any differences north vs south culture wise, leaving the religion thing out of it of course, and the football thing with Celtics being popular in the six counties. I do see a sense though that many Irish who are/were nationalist in outlook don't really care about the south one way or the other, yet still very much regard themselves as Irish regardless of partition. I live in the U.S. now, but I am hoem evey year, sometimes twice a year, and we hail from northwest Cavan, and southwest Fermanagh, we are all Irish, and always have been and always will be. Ironically enough it is in these areas where much of what is left of Irish culture is still celebrated.
FallsRNat | Feb 28, 2013, 07:49 PM EST
awoken - i talked about northerners per se, i didn't mention the religious identity of the people as i was being inclusive of the total society. It is a fact that northerners & southerners in Ireland, just like England & North/South Europe have differences in their cultures, if you can't recognise that then you don't come from ireland.
misneac | Feb 28, 2013, 07:44 PM EST
Who would pay any attention to what that bitter and bigoted harridan Emer OKelly would write ? For years in the "Sunday Independent " she has been conducting an ill informed ,biased ,malacious and libellious campaign .We sure are a tolerant nation . What Church really brutalized the Irish people ? Dont answer ,it would not be politically correct !!!!!
IrelandNorth | Feb 28, 2013, 02:35 PM EST
Blame it all on the Council of Nicea, 380 and Papal Bull Laudibiliter, 1169. Adrian IV's fist in the chain mail of Henry II. Until the gloves came off due to that infernal German Augustinian monk, spoiling a good money-spinning racket. But if the Ulstermen would end up running the Island, why not vote for a Untied Ireland post haste.
seamus60 | Feb 28, 2013, 12:55 PM EST
Misswhisp. Come on spill the beans, what did St Patrick get up to ?
Smyrnian | Feb 28, 2013, 11:37 AM EST
Awoken - both statements are true.
awoken32 | Feb 28, 2013, 09:31 AM EST
@FALLSRNAT Your comment make out that the unionists are an independat an brilliant people,When the truth is is that youse hang onto the notion that youse belong to the imbred Royal Family of England,A family so steeped in mass murder an child abuse i begs the question,How are the unionists to society super leaders,When your people find it so hard to let go of the Royal aprin strings of the past,Those very aprin strings that helped your people try an turn the catholics into second class citizens??honestly you should look at your own peoples past before you look at mine,Lets face facts here the Royals have used your people just to cause division in my country,Now they are finished with youse as your role is coming to an end,An as for the unionists running the show,will ye come on,for godsake sure the unionists will be in the minority in the north in the not to distant future,Youse should jion a UI an become irish citizens an loose all your superiority complex about been better than other people,Because i tell you one thing youse are not better
awoken32 | Feb 28, 2013, 09:14 AM EST
An were in the world are you from anglo-norman?
awoken32 | Feb 28, 2013, 09:11 AM EST
Smyrian The Catholic Church needs to repent for continuosly brutilizing youg innocent children
Smyrnian | Feb 28, 2013, 07:48 AM EST
Irish Central needs to repent for continuously brutalizing the Catholic Church.
anglo-norman | Feb 27, 2013, 09:02 PM EST
I'm afraid the Irish lack Moral Courage to stand up for themselves, history has proven that many times!! A servile silly people who have let themselves be conquered by everyone & anyone. Now the EU owns their ass!!
cillowen | Feb 27, 2013, 08:36 PM EST
Adrian IV fubarred ould erin for ever more.
aloistmartin | Feb 27, 2013, 08:28 PM EST
Peace has Spoiled the Irish !
anglo-norman | Feb 27, 2013, 06:33 PM EST
Will the Irish ever show some courage & rid this cess-pit corporation from it's society. It financed the invasion of Ireland, supported King William,closed it's doors to the starving Irish during the Famine,raped Irish children,poured millions out of Ireland to the Vatican,did the Vatican help Ireland out in this current financial crisis?
Smyrnian | Feb 27, 2013, 03:53 PM EST
awoken - Please learn how to spell it. It's not pedafile; it's pedophile or even paedophile.
awoken32 | Feb 27, 2013, 01:34 PM EST
THE BIGGEST PEDAFILE RING IN THE WORLD
FallsRNat | Feb 27, 2013, 01:01 PM EST
ancavker that's a valid point, it wouldn't surprise me that the Catholic Church took the UK's place as the parent of irish people, history teaches us that throughout the world that these good meaning intentions can give way to vile abuses, such as the priesthood in ireland, stalin in russia. The question is, is the 26 county state mature enough to ever hold sway over a UI & I mean that with the utmost respect, the southerners like to be led & guided, whilst the northerners are a pretty hardy lot capable of making their own decisions, most likely in the event of a UI, there would be a mass flight from the North, however, if the Unionists stuck about they may well end up running the whole show.
ancavker | Feb 27, 2013, 08:58 AM EST
Are we to believe somehow that all of this abuse is somehow to be blamed on independence? The tone of the article and some comments seem to suggest that is the case.
anndrewbright | Feb 27, 2013, 05:33 AM EST
I am proud of Kenny for stepping up and apologizing. I had never heard of this place. It saddened me to think that the Irish who suffered so at the hands of the English could treat their own in this manner. I hope this terrible situation gets rectified.
Portia_O'Neill | Feb 27, 2013, 12:40 AM EST
There are plenty of people in Ireland who aren't members of the Catholic Church but hold similar views as described by Emer O'Kelly. It's unfortunate that the Irish internalized the values of their oppressors, chiefly the Brits.
FallsRNat | Feb 26, 2013, 07:10 PM EST
Bethany House where protestants were abused, where is the state apology for them, come on Enda time to pucker up & apologise for all of the wrongdoing, Dev started all this obsession with the Holy Roman Empire at the expense of the Free State, let the people sue the church & seek retribution from them & the state otherwise they get away with it again. The ROI should stop RC church involvement in schools, the 1 thing we all demand is the dis-establishment of church & state.
Smyrnian | Feb 26, 2013, 06:21 PM EST
Has anyone ever thought about looking into the absolutely cruel and abusive National School system that existed up until the late 1970's. some thoughtful journalist should take this up. I was there in the 1950's and 1960's and I saw it first hand. Far worse that people realise......far worse.
Tooreenagrena | Feb 26, 2013, 03:28 PM EST
Talk about being in denial. It was irish men ans women who did this.
johnshiel | Feb 26, 2013, 11:18 AM EST
excessive deference toward clerics by catholics is both natural and dangerous. navigating that tention is the sharp challenge that we're all reminded of these days...respect vs. blind agreement...
Eireannach | Feb 26, 2013, 09:50 AM EST
Ms O'Kelly should take a very long lie down, in a quiet dark room. Hopefully when she comes out she will have grown up a little - and have developed some sense of perspective... These self-opinionated, hysterical and preachy rants do nothing to foster real understanding of the past.
slainte9 | Feb 26, 2013, 09:24 AM EST
After the British do.
pilib04 | Feb 26, 2013, 09:12 AM EST
Is this some sort of oxymoron?
CelticQueenUSA | Feb 26, 2013, 08:49 AM EST
Don't hold your breath, it will NEVER happen/