Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Magdalen laundries report. I warmly welcome the apology that the Taoiseach made in the Dáil last week. It was considered, respectful and, above all, the right thing to do for the Magdalen women. I commend him on issuing an apology on behalf of all Members of the Oireachtas. When somebody in this House gets it right, it is important to acknowledge him or her. Now, however, we face the real test of acting on the apology by supporting these women in a practical way. Time is not on our side and I urge speed and efficiency in supporting women who suffered a grave injustice.

Deeper issues also arise on which Deputies and our wider society should reflect. We need to ensure this type of injustice does not happen again. Vigilance is key to this issue. Ireland has changed but that does not mean we can walk off the pitch thinking all is well for the protection of children and vulnerable people. The legacy of the Magdalen women should be constant vigilance on behalf of vulnerable and exploited people in modern society.

It is also important to tell the women that we believe them and commend them on their bravery and integrity. Now is the time to act on our belief by supporting them with proper compensation. I urge common sense. The women themselves should be our priority and we should not be distracted by those who take different angles on the compensation package. I hope the injustice will be redressed in a fair and comprehensive manner. There can be no fudge because compassion and support have to be at the top of our agenda.

There was no State payment for lone parents in the days of the Magdalen laundries. It was a shameful and dark time in Irish history. It is shocking to realise that the last laundry only closed in 1996, a mere 17 years ago. I recently received a letter from a lone parent who drew my attention to a number of issues that persist in modern Ireland. She wrote that she became a single mother nine years ago. She currently receive benefits and eventually her family came around to accepting her but she could have been sent to a mother and baby home or a Magdalen laundry had she lived in different times. If she had been unfortunate enough to lack an education and a supportive family, her life may have turned out very differently. She noted that there are many thousands of families in which one parent provides for children without the proper support of the other parent. It is often a challenging and lonely job but it is also rewarding. She pointed out that, unfortunately, media coverage and online commentary suggest that the stigma of being a lone parent persists below the surface. Whether they are parenting alone due to separation, divorce, death or imprisonment of another parent, relationship breakdown or crisis pregnancy, the idea persists in many sections of Irish society that lone parents are all women and they purposively become pregnant to abuse the welfare system or join in the gravy train with free houses and buggies. Despite the statistics, the stereotype of the fallen women continues to be believed. Ireland may no longer have Magdalen homes, but we still have consistent poverty. She noted that the report on child income supports proposes to cut supports for lower income families. I refer to this letter because I have also heard these comments in pubs and the wider community. We have to deal with these issues in an open and comprehensive manner.

The Magdalen women, who showed such bravery and integrity in visiting these Houses last week, also brought the message that we must not tolerate exploitation of men, women or children in any part of society. In developing a compensation package, these women should get our full support at all times. Our focus must be on treating them in a fair manner.

One woman is cited in the Magdalen report as having been subjected to sexual abuse by an auxiliary. A significant number suffered abuse in the family home or other institutions. We must reflect on these issues, which arise outside of the context of the Magdalen laundries. Societal issues remain to be addressed in regard to child abuse and dysfunctional families. Approximately 80% of abuse takes place within the extended family. I raise this issue because it was highlighted in the McAleese report. A small number of women reported physical punishment on at least one occasion. I quote the following extracts from the report:

“two ladies were standing there, not nuns but dressed in navy. I was left with those two”; and after being made to remove her clothing and stand on a stool, she described being “punched by one of them, one side to another. I was dizzy, I kept saying I’m dizzy”...


The overwhelming majority of the women who spoke to the Committee described verbal abuse and being the victim of unkind or hurtful taunting and belittling comments...


One woman spoke of receiving “cruel talk”...


A woman reported that, after running away from a Magdalen Laundry in the 1950s and being returned by the Gardaí, she was “put in isolation for two days”...


They described harsh and physically demanding work, in some cases for long hours. Some of them were only young girls while carrying out this heavy and difficult work.

These are the stories we have heard. The other side of the story is the broader issue of child abuse over the past 50 or 60 years, including abuse against children and adults with intellectual disabilities. These individuals do not have any voice. Many of us are concerned that their story has never been told because of a lack of communication skills or intellectual disabilities. I wonder at times how we can get to the nub of this issue.

As I know from experience as the parent of a daughter with an intellectual disability, the staff working in our modern day schools and care centres are highly trained and professional and do an excellent job. However, in the past 50 or 60 years I wonder how many young people with an intellectual disability were physically or sexually abused and whose stories have never come to light. I have no doubt the Magdalen women would be very supportive of that aspect of the wider debate.

We need to ensure the Bethany Home survivors are included. Some 219 Bethany Home children lie in unmarked graves in nearby Mount Jerome cemetery, while another 17 may be buried elsewhere. Most died in the decade following the Maternity Act 1934 which mandated State inspections. Some 86 were buried in Mount Jerome cemetery during the years 1935 to 1939, while 132 died between 1935 and 1944. There is cross-party support for including the Bethany Home survivors and we must ensure they get their rights.

If we are serious about what we are saying and apologising, we must ensure all Magdalen survivors are treated with respect and dignity and receive a decent compensation package. The greatest honour we could pay the women concerned would be to ensure the abuse of children or young and vulnerable people in society never happens again.

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