Magdalene survivors to meet Taoiseach

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore will meet with survivors of the Magdalene Laundries today to hear their stories.

The meeting, expected to last at least two hours, was requested by Magdalene Survivors Together in advance of next week’s Dáil debate on the McAleese Report into the laundries.

Steven O’Riordan, spok-esman for Magdalene Survivors Together said he hoped Mr Kenny would fully understand the importance of issuing a state apology after meeting with the women.

Mr O’Riordan said the group had produced 15 survivor testimonies for the report, which was published last Tuesday.

“In the past week, we have been fielding calls from his [Mr Kenny’s] office trying to map out the best approach to the meeting. So far everything has been carefully looked at and all the concerns the women have been taken into account.”

He said that while other groups might not want such a meeting, the survivors he represented were in no doubt they wanted to meet Mr Kenny.

“Nobody has been bullied or rushed into this. In fact, the survivors believe it’s fundamental in achieving their ultimate goal for a state apology.”

In all, five women from the Magdalene Survivors Together group will meet Mr Kenny.

Maureen O’Sullivan, a survivor of the laundries and member of Magdalene Survivors Together, said she never thought the day would come that she would be invited to meet the leader of the country.

“Clearly, this man wants to know what he can do for us, and it is my intention to make it clear to him what we want. It’s a state apology,” she said.

Mr Kenny was criticised for not making a full apology in the Dáil when the report was published.

“We are going to do the right thing,” Mr Gilmore said on RTÉ on Friday, when he indicated that arrangements for Mr Kenny to meet the women were being finalised.

Asked why there was no apology from the Government, Mr Gilmore said a decision had been taken to publish the report immediately and there was no time to consider an appropriate response.

Mr O’Riordan said the women agreed to meet Mr Kenny to allow him an opportunity to understand why he needs to make an unreserved state apology.

However, Justice for the Magdalenes said they wanted survivors attending the meeting to know how it would be managed in advance of it taking place.

JFM spokeswoman Claire McGettrick said her group would not attend the meeting unless a number of issues raised by JFM in relation to it were clarified in writing by the Taoiseach’s office.

JFM wants to know the purpose, format, and agenda for the meeting, who will attend, and what guarantees can be given that the survivors will be protected from the media.