IRELAND
Irish Central
A look at books – the Magdalene Laundries, Reverend Ian Paisley and the Irish Diaspora
Tip Sheet by Cahir O’Doherty
It Doesn’t Ring a Bell
By Racer Lynch
It hasn’t been two decades since the last Magdalene Laundry in Ireland closed in 1996. That’s well within the living memory of young adults. The question is, what to do with all that suffering now that its come to light?
Even now most would prefer to look the other way, exactly the way they used to when these unpaid gulags were in operation. The Irish government had to be browbeaten for years by a group of committed former inmates and their offspring before finally offering a full apology. That apology was offered in February 2013, by the way, just two months ago.
So the Irish reluctance to face up to the legacy of widespread physical and sexual abuse has been one of the most remarkable aspects of the now three decade long crisis in the Catholic Church. Instead of principled stock taking, denial, defensiveness and even blaming the victims have been the standard responses.
So what happens to the nation that fails to confront its own traumas? Does it hand them and their legacy on to the next generation without comment?
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