Refuge to open near former Magdalene laundry

Just over 35 years since Galway’s notorious Magdalene laundry closed its doors, a new refuge for women and children is nearing completion in convent grounds next door.

Inspirational women in Irish history, such as political activist Dr Kathleen Lynn and Cork-born British military surgeon Dr James Miranda Steuart Barry, will lend their names to the new apartments being constructed for the €4m project which has been spearheaded by Cope Galway, which works with both homeless and domestic abuse victims, after a lease was offered for the convent by the Mercy Order.