Eloquent and brave survivors set an example

THIS country has a lot to be ashamed of, but I worry are we in danger of being constantly negative and thinking we have little power other than to wring our hands and cry about the past.

One thing we should be celebrating is the positive examples of survivors — and this country is full of them.

People like Christine O’Brien and Michael O’Brien are victims, yes, but there’s more to them than that. They are eloquent, brave and inspiring examples to us all.

They are people who refused to be crushed despite enduring horrors. They tell us a lot about the power of the human spirit, much more so than the rhetoric of religious or political leaders.

We should also celebrate and acknowledge whistleblowers who spoke out on behalf of others. People like Cllr Martin McGuire of Limerick who, through constantly questioning the Department of Education, forced the release of Gerard Fogarty,14, from Glin industrial school after he was flogged naked with a cat o’ nine tails and immersed in salt water for trying to escape back to his mother.

Limerick should be proud of this man, and yet I had not heard his story until last week.

I don’t think for a minute that Cllr McGuire was the only one who spoke out and many other people should be acknowledged for the good they did or tried to do.

Hopefully it will inspire others also to be brave enough to shout stop when they encounter abuse of power in any form anywhere.

Tim Hourigan

Cedar Court

Kennedy Park

Limerick