Society shunned them, the State abused them, and the Church exploited them but Ireland has finally laid a welcome mat for the women of the Magdalene laundries.

Some 220 Magdalene laundry survivors from as far away as Australia and the US are set to attend a historic two-day event next month to enable them to meet and talk to each other.

The Department of Justice has invited hundreds of Magdalene women to a two-day event in June to enable them to meet and talk to each other.

Survivors of Magdalene laundries, and their relatives, have relived the horrors of rape, abuse and lost lives as they renewed calls for a memorial and full redress.