State apology to survivors of Magdelene Laundries

‘...it was a cruel, pitiless Ireland; distinctly lacking in a quality of mercy...’


I’ve just finished listening to Enda Kenny apologising on behalf of the state to survivors of Magdalene Laundries. I think he got the tone right; it was simple and heartfelt and did nothing to mitigate the state’s shameful role in decades of abuse. If his promises ring true and survivors can look forward to compensation and compassionate care, then it will have been a signal night for the state.


Why, oh why, though, could he not have done this a fortnight ago?


I don’t know which is the greatest emotion tonight as I write this: joy that for so many women tonight marks the end of a long battle and the beginning of a more hopeful future; or sorrow that we as a nation did not have the moral courage, the strength, indeed, to give action to the Christianity we professed on our bended knees of a Sunday, to help them through dark decades – because so many knew, or suspected, what went on behind the closed gates of convents. Perhaps it is simply deep and bilious anger that so many were subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment for simply being young and in love, or naive, or pregnant, or at risk, or any of the plethora of excuses used to justify their indefinite, unlawful detention and abuse as slave workers, for the benefit of religious orders.


Nobody who heard or read the apology could but be moved. But it will ring hollow if we fail to learn from this national shame, and treat the vulnerable, the weak and the simply different with similar callousness.

I'm not a huge fan of historical apologising, don't see much point in it beyond admitting liability, but one thing that struck was this: Why isn't the head of state, the President, apologising on behalf of the state? Why all the clamouring for Kenny to do it?

I imagine that it's because the Taoiseach is the head of executive government, which was responsible in the first instance for the policy and legislation enabling the laundries to operate, and for controlling its agencies (several departments of state and the Garda for example) whereas the President is intended to be a role above politics.

When you think about it, political apologies are very rare in Ireland; the more usual thing is to brazen out any situation and hope it disappears. I think in this case that the scale of the abuse - literally turning women into, at best, indentured servants and, at worst, slaves, all with the collusion of the state and its agencies - merited an apology long ago.

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Originally Posted by Eminence Grise

I’ve just finished listening to Enda Kenny apologising on behalf of the state to survivors of Magdalene Laundries.

Why, oh why, though, could he not have done this a fortnight ago?

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Because he, like all TD's on all sides were caught on the hop, when it was published. The opposition of course, played politics in the meantime, with something that should never been used for political purposes. It took their focus off the banks, billions, and bailouts for a while.

The actual apology was better now than it would have been at the time of the initial release. The report was read, digested, survivors were met in person, and the formal apology came after all that. Proper order.

That was a rhetorical question! But it's not as if he was caught on the hop when the report was published and had had no prior warning that the state 'might' have been complicit in abusing thousands of innocent women. He knew it was coming; Martin McAleese - one of Kenny's appointed Senators, remember - didn't secretly compile the report. There was plenty of time before it was published to meet survivors, prepare a speech and act decisively.

They knew the report was coming, but the timing of it caught everyone on the hop. With all the focus at the time on banks and promissory notes, the government got less than 2 hours notice of it before beginning the day's Dáil session. Has anyone read and absorbed a report of that length and detail in 2 hours?

I watched the full apology last night. And it was hard not to be moved. It's in direct contrast to the yokels that have been in charge since Garret.

It was funny watching it though and the commentary afterwards from other opposition TDs and how they were all with Enda and thought that he did a great job and then you had RBB standing up and criticising outright for his failure to do it before now. You just can't win sometimes.

Is the Catholic Church going to fund the compensation?

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Originally Posted by strangeirish

Is the Catholic Church going to fund the compensation?

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I'd hope they would, but they never do. They still hold too much power in this country for the state to put any leverage on them, and they have absolutely no conscience, so won't do it off their own bat.