Sir, – Carl O'Brien ("Ireland's psychiatric hospitals: the last gap in our history of 'coercive confinement'?" June 16th) provides a succinct description of how Ireland "led the world in locking people up in institutions" and how these institutions were integrated into the economic fabric of the community. On the same page, Sally Mulready, a survivor of a mother-and-baby home, asserts that "Comfortable Ireland, for me, should be quite ashamed about never asking questions" ("Mulready welcomes inquiry", June 16th).
It would seem to me that questions were asked but that what was lacking was compassion in response to the answers. Inspections were carried out, there were records of reasons for incarceration and causes of death were noted. These were read by State officials and professionals but “Comfortable Ireland” at the time was incapable of challenging its own norms, or the structures that provided gainful employment.
Have we moved on? Our methods of inquiry and fact-finding have become more sophisticated but how prevalent is compassion in the responses of State organisations to current social problems? The findings of commissions of inquiry into the past must also raise debate about the role of feelings as well as facts in the way we manage our services today. – Yours, etc,
MAUREEN ROWAN
Northbrook Avenue,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.