An Irish prime minister has offered an apology to individuals who endured institutional abuse. Among those welcoming the statement is a survivor who, as a one-year-old, was separated from her mother.
Micheál Martin, the current Taoiseach, addressed survivors of institutional abuse within the Dáil, the Irish parliament, on a recent Wednesday. An estimated 4,000 individuals in Ireland are survivors of such abuse.
Miriam Moriarty Owens, a resident of County Kerry, shared her perspective, stating that she and others were “criminalised as children” despite having committed no wrongdoing. This echoes sentiments felt by many who experienced life in industrial or reformatory schools.
The Irish government had previously issued a State apology in 1999 under Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. However, advocates persistently sought further clarification. Their aim was to ensure that individuals would not acquire criminal records simply for having been placed in industrial or reformatory schools.
“I want to unequivocally apologise to you and reiterate on behalf of the Government, the State, and all the citizens of the State, the profound sorrow for the terrible pain and abuse suffered by you,” Martin stated in the Dáil. He added, “What you endured on a daily basis as innocent children was harrowing, heart breaking and wrong.”
In response to these calls, the government will now provide certificates. These documents will confirm the official position on criminal records for individual survivors, including those who have passed away.
Last year marked a significant period for some survivors. Four individuals who experienced abuse in industrial and reformatory schools undertook a hunger strike, which continued for 51 days.
The four participants in this protest included Moriarty Owens, Mary Donovan, Maurice Patton O’Connell, and Mary Dunlevy Greene. Their hunger strike spanned the 51-day duration.
Moriarty Owens spoke with BBC NI, detailing her personal experiences within an industrial setting. She described the immediate impact of entering such institutions. “As soon as you entered those doors… first of all they took your name away and they gave you a number, like: ‘You’re a prisoner now, you’re a convict, you’re a criminal.’ They took your personality away. They took your dignity, they took your everything. They owned you.”
Life within these institutions was marked by relentless work. “As soon as you walked, you worked, and that’s the way we did and that’s the way our lives were,” she recalled.
Moriarty Owens voiced a sentiment shared by many survivors: “The government of today should recognise the children that suffered under their care. But they didn’t care about us.”
‘They Criminalised Us as Children’
Moriarty Owens, originally from County Kerry, has experienced ongoing health challenges since the hunger strike concluded. These issues include kidney and chest infections.
She explained that the hunger strikers, whose ages range from their 50s to their 70s, sustained themselves during last year’s protest primarily on “water, milk, vitamins and tea.”
“We shouldn’t have been left there for 37 seconds, no mind 51 days,” she asserted. “We were never criminals. They criminalised us as children. We did nothing wrong. We did nothing wrong. I’m so happy today I am going up to the Dáil and they have to stand there and apologise to us – rightfully so.”
The Irish government has also committed to a comprehensive package of support for survivors. This provision includes health assistance through dedicated liaison officers, educational grants, preferential access to social housing, and coverage for funeral costs.