Mercy Sisters: Galway and DunLaoghaire [there was a third in Tralee but it closed in or around 1907-8]

Sisters of Charity: Cork and Donnybrook

Sisters of the Good Shepherd: New Ross, Waterford, Cork, Limerick

Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of Refuge: High Park, Drumcondra and, an aligned branch of the same order at, Gloucester Street/Sean McDermott Street. The latter institution had merged with the Mecklenburg Street Laundry in the the first decade of the 20th century.

There has been a great amount of confusion over laundries attached to Industrial schools and true Magdalen Laundries, but there is a distinct difference. And especially in terms of the 2002 Redress act. Anyone who was abused or suffered working in a laundry attached to an industrial school would have the ability to lodge a claim under the Redress act, especially under age 22 (the new amended age limit).

Anyone consigned to an actual Magdalen Laundry (unless under the age of 22 or transferred from a listed industrial school prior to age 22) does *not* currently have the ability to claim under the original Redress act. We have just submitted a proposed separate Redress bill to the body of Dail Eireann and seem to be garnering some very positive support and comments thus far, especially from Labour.

Just though I would tell you FYI
there was No Magdalen laundry in Longford, was this a typo?

Paddy,

It was a pleasure talking to you on the phone and I’m sure over the hour we spoke it wasn’t nearly enough. You truly are a remarkable man, The God Squad and States of Fear quickly come to mind. I’m honoured that someone of your prestige and character has taken such interest in my film “The Forgotten Maggies “. The fact we have your support is in itself a great thing.

I know it’s later then expected but as you requested here is a slight synopsis of the Documentary/ Film, the process of how it was made and why it was done.

Synopsis:

It takes place over a period of 3 years and picks up where Peter Mullan left i.e. “The Magdalene Sisters”. We follow the lives of 4 women. Three of which who were in Magdalene Laundries at Dublin, Wexford & Longford. The other is speaking on behalf of her mom as she died within the confined walls of the Magdalene Laundry in Cork.
For each of the women it’s their first time ever speaking out for the injustice they suffered and the documentary focuses on the aspect of their lives after the institutions closed. It looks at where they went to, how they coped, the relationships they made, the struggles they faced and the insecurities they had. If I was to describe the filming process it would be best described as a Michael Moore style Film such as Sicko or Bowling for Columbine.
No Irish person has ever documented or filmed these women’s stories and it the first time ever any Irish person has produced such kind of film. I myself began this process when I was 22. I’m now 25 and the two cameramen were both 19 and 20 respectively.
Everyone who worked on the project did so, on voluntary bases. We received no funding from the local authorities, The Government or The Arts council and therefore any money we earned in our jobs went into the making of the film, such as; travel costs around Ireland & England and of course the tapes we used to film the women. We had little or no experience of making films or documentaries and we definitely had no idea of what kind of life the women had or continue to have from their experiences of being institutionalised.
It all began with this idea that the women who were in the institutions could not have rode off into the sunset and lived happily ever after. Then out of the blue I decided to track one of these women down and so lead to 3 years work of dedicated. One day out of the blue I got a phone call from this woman by the name of Maureen Sullivan. After a 2 hour conversation and an explanation of her life story I realised I had a chance to change her life. For 3 years she had been trying to take her case before the Redress Board. However, the Case was dropped and Maureen was left with little or no guidance on what to do next. We pick up the Documentary here. I spent 7 months interviewing and talking to Maureen on regular bases. Then I realised if I wanted to tell this story to the world I couldn’t do it alone. I put up an advert up on the Irish Television Network website asking for voluntary assistance on making a documentary about life after the Magdalene Laundries. The response was huge and out of that stemmed a friendship with both cameramen Seamus and Gerard.
Three of us worked closely together making the documentary each trusting ones ideas, instincts and hunches. The more we filmed and met Maureen the more I began to realise that The Church and Irish Society as a whole had let her down. Then I started writing letters on her behalf to different governments and suddenly all three of us got caught up in getting this women justice. We knew she was telling the truth but how could we prove this? As we listen to her story we started to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The documentary then took on the form of, is this woman telling the truth and how do we prove this scenario? Link that together with the fact that none of us had actual experience in Law or the Irish Constitution we then had to show how difficult it is for someone like Maureen to get justice in Ireland let alone be heard or listened to. Everything Maureen said or told us we looked into, such as; does the tunnel she was hidden in really exit? Is the cleaner who supposedly saw all of this alive? Would she back up Maureen’s story? How could three lads with no experience of law or film making get 30, 000 women justice let alone one person?
Then we find ourselves over in England tracking down other women. We listen to them, their stories and see how they were affected. We come back to Ireland with a huge knowledge and understanding of what these women are looking for. We dig deeper and deeper until eventually we unearth information that goes beyond believe. We try to get Maureen back into the Redress Board, We start challenging the Government and the Church. We ask ourselves the question will Maureen finally get justice. Will The Redress Board take on her case again? Will The Church or the State apologise? Will it turn out that Maureen and the three other women made it all up? Will three lads with little or no experience in film making actually tell these women’s stories in an accurate, factual, sensitive way or will they make a situation which is sensitive, upsetting and hard worse than it was before they began?
The running time of the Documentary is 100mins. The launch is on Galway at the Town Hall Cinemobile @ 10:30am. Entrance is free and spaces are limited. It would be fantastic to have News Paper reviewers, Journalists (With a keen eye for Human Rights, and an Interest in Politics there.)
At Present we have attendance from Amnesty International, The National Women’s council of Ireland, The Irish times, The Daily Star, The Irish Examiner Labour, FG, Sinn Fein and a few Independents along with local Councillors will be there. TV3 News has expressed a keen interest. All the women who participated in the documentary will be there.
At the end of the documentary the general public and the media will have a 15-20 minute session to ask any questions they have to either the women or myself. If you know anyone that would be interested in attending please pass on my details to them as soon as possible.

Steven O’ Riordan
003532971444
00353870674520

Also there’s a link to the trailer which is 57 seconds long below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCIwIj5cgl8