Sir, – The opportunistic members of the Opposition who were so cynically calling for a Magdalene Laundry State apology, which could only have been an empty formula given that their attacks were on the same day the McAleese report was published, will, it is hoped, be a little less ready to rush to judgment if any similar situation arises in the future.
Enda Kenny has delivered something that is meaningful. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Today millions of people (mostly women and children) still work excessive hours, often in locked factories with barred windows, sharing crowded dormitories, forced to hand up most of their paltry “wages” to their “employers” so that products can be made to serve our needs and satisfy our desires.
In the Ireland of the past, few questioned who it was behind those high walls who produced the high quality laundry service, and under what conditions.
In the Ireland of today few question how so many products offered in our retail outlets can possibly be created and sold for such a small price tag, or indeed why the price is so much cheaper than comparable Irish-made products.
We cannot undo the injustices of the past, but we can honour the brave women who have told their painful stories by looking behind every product we purchase and demanding information about those who produce it and their working conditions. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – As a society we have finally admitted involvement and apologised to victims of Magdalene laundries who were left scarred as a result of their treatment by the State, government, religious and society. An honest and open response to the scars of yesterday’s atrocities is necessary not only for victims but also for wider society.
An apology two weeks ago would have been made without having fully read the report, without comprehending the contents of the report and, importantly, in the absence of the victims. Sometimes it is not wise to meet the demands of media, sometimes it is not wise to respond to opponents who seek to exploit a situation for their own gain.
The generosity of the Taoiseach’s apology was only possible because of the time between publication of the McAleese Report and Tuesday’s Dáil statement. In that time he met victims, heard their stories first- hand, listened to their needs and was then in a position to reply appropriately.
Although I am gravely disappointed to be part of a society which has a history of betraying so many of its citizens, yet I am proud to be part of a generation which is taking steps to right past injustices. I am proud to be a citizen of a country that is led by a compassionate, thoughtful and wise Taoiseach. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – As our country’s tears and loving falls upon the survivors of the Magdalene laundries, my heart goes out to them.
As one of the few survivors of the Protestant Bethany Home, I wait! – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I watched in awe as our Taoiseach Enda Kenny was moved almost to tears while delivering the official State apology to the survivors of the Magdalene laundries.
What a change from our previous taoisigh who never exhibited one tear while in power, not even as they waved goodbye to Irish sovereignty and financial security. The genuine compassion and honesty shown by Enda Kenny certainly is inspiring. Could it be that green shoots of trust and idealism in politics can now spring forth again? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – While the apology was sincere, missing were other factors involved in Ireland in the 1930s to 1960s.
Where were the families who allowed this to happen? Have they apologised? What about the religious orders who administered the institutions, have they apologised? What about the legislature which allowed this to happen, has it apologised? What about the people of Ireland who knew that this was happening? Did they apologise? What about the people who got their laundry done, have they apologised? Did the media apologise for not exposing the laundries? No, no, no.
I accept that misery was caused to some of these women, but that can not be undone. It was a product of the time, the culture of secrecy, the institutions. There was complicity to hide the facts. Society did not want to know: it was glad that somebody else looked after the unpleasant situations. So why has the current Government to apologise for something it had nothing to do with?
While Enda Kenny is at it, why doesn’t he apologise for the misery caused by the lack of birth control in the country during this era? What about the brutality in the schools during this time? What about the total mess of the Croke Park deal and the cost into the future of the pensions time bomb? The bank guarantee, etc, etc. Finally, why does he not apologise for things which are inside his control, which need to be done and haven’t been done? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – What part did some or any of the parents/ grandparents play in the Magdalenisation of these unfortunate female children?
There seems to be a notable absence of comment in this particular regard in details released to date on this very unhappy period in our history. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I feel so guilty that I had been using the facilities of the laundry at the time of the abuse. I was so thoughtless and callous that I did not give a thought to the condition of the poor women working there.
Now I wonder – were they the only ones mistreated? Perhaps the novices, the lay nuns and the nuns that had not provided sufficient dowry were treated the same way – working long hours, mistreated and without pay.
They too must have carried their suffering to the grave – all for the love of God. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Unless I am mistaken, neither the State nor the church employed people to wander the streets kidnapping the children whose lives were so badly damaged by their time in the Magdalene laundries. The reality was that those children were in most cases sent away to the laundries by members of their own families. Those families are the third part of the triangle of responsibility who are never called to account.
While it is clearly appropriate for the government to highlight the wrong that was done to the victims in the laundries (and hopefully compensate them accordingly), I cannot help but think that Enda Kenny should save his tearful apologies for those whose lives are currently being wrecked by his own economic policies. Unfortunately his cavalcade of PR men and advisers is preventing him from seeing the damage just as the walls of the Magdalene laundries did in the past. – Yours, etc,