Nuns who ran Magdalene laundries have not contributed to redress for women

All four religious congregations involved in running Ireland's 10 Magdalene laundries, who feature in an RTÉ documentary later this evening, have refused to contribute to a State fund to compensate the women who worked in them.

A total of €32.8million has so far been paid by the State in awards under a redress scheme created in December 2013 which has given awards since of up to €100,000 to 814 survivors.

However, the Religious Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity and the Good Shepherd Sisters have "declined" to make a financial contribution to the Magdalen Laundries Restorative Justice Ex Gratia Scheme, the Department of Children confirmed to The Irish Times.

More than 11,000 women and girls were held in 10 laundries operated by the four female religious congregations from 1922 until the closure of Dublin’s Seán McDermott Street laundry in 1996.

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In the first of two episodes of Ireland’s Dirty Laundry, which airs tonight, survivors speak of their experiences.

“People think they know the Magdalene laundry story, but they don’t. They don’t know the half of it, to be honest,” says one of those interviewed, Teresa O’Connor

The episode concentrates on the experience of the girls and women who were sent to the laundries, why they were sent there and what happened to them then and later. Survivors tearfully describe their experiences of being sent away as young girls with little or no idea of what awaited them, sometimes as a result of domestic and sexual abuse, for which they themselves were made to pay a desperate price.

‘Dumped’

“You were constantly being told, ‘Nobody loves you. Nobody wants you. Your mother dumped you,” said Maureen Sullivan told the programme.

Academic James M. Smith said: “Irish society and Irish families re-victimised the female victims of male sexual violence, be that rape, be that incest, be that sexual abuse. The family was sacrosanct after the 1937 constitution - inalienable rights. So, we asked no questions. There was no comment. And it was easier in some cases just to send Mary away or Bridget away.”

Some of the women and girls were unmarried mothers, others came to the laundries from reformatories, industrial schools and mother and baby homes, while others were placed there by their families.

In 2013 the then government wrote to the orders requesting a contribution to the redress fund, but these pleas were rejected.

“However, they cooperated fully in making records available to the applicants and in verifying details for the Department,” the department said.

In February 2013, then taoiseach Enda Kenny apologised to the women on behalf of the State following the publication of the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee to establish the facts of State involvement with the Magdalen Laundries .

Payments

In 2015 the Magdalen Restorative Justice Ex-Gratia Scheme was set up to compensate surviving women and, as of January, €32.8 million had been paid in awards. These ranged from €11,500 to €100,000.

Two further institutions have since been added to the scheme - St Mary's Domestic Training Centre at Stanhope Street in Dublin, run by the Religious Sisters of Charity, and the House of Mercy Domestic Training School at Summerhill in Wexford, run by the Sisters of Mercy.

Of the 12 institutions concerned, three were managed by the Religious Sisters of Charity: the Magdalene laundries at Donnybrook in Dublin and at Peacock Lane in Cork, as well as St Mary’s Domestic Training Centre.

Last week it emerged that the Religious Sisters of Charity had applied to Dublin City Council for planning permission to allow "high quality residential development and address housing need" at their site on Merrion Road in Dublin 4.

A senior property industry source estimated it could sell for “€50 million-plus” if zoned for homes.