Irish society should say ‘sorry’

With the publication of the first comprehensive official report of the Magdalene laundries, the national debate has been sidetracked into political self-righteousness.

Do opposition politicians, and ordinary members of society, achieve anything for the victims by racing to the high moral ground? The Taoiseach bungled his lines, but that is not the issue. Any apology by any Taoiseach would not satisfy me, and should not satisfy the victims, nor society.

The women who worked in the laundries were not the only victims. Many of these women were institutionalised as a consequence of unplanned pregnancies, with possibly the majority of their babies taken for adoption. These children remain victims. State law should support the reuniting of sundered families.

The Taoiseach cannot apologise for the many other organisations that contributed to abuse. Neither can he apologise for the actions of family members who pressurised their daughters, sisters or nieces to enter a laundry, nor for all those who sat on the fence.

How do you apologise to victims who have died? The President embodies the State. He is above party politics and is the most appropriate person to apologise to the victims on behalf of the State. The Taoiseach should join him, and also apologise for the failures of previous governments and outline support for survivors. They should be joined by the Catholic archbishops of Armagh and Dublin, who should apologise for the involvement of diocesan clergy. The heads of subordinate agencies of State and Church, which have been identified by the McAleese Report, should also apologise.

All this does not cover the guilt that should be felt by family members and by the mass of ordinary people who, in the Biblical sense, walked by and didn’t want to see. This needs public acknowledgement. Most countries have a memorial to victims of war; we have a Garden of Remembrance for soldiers. We should have a national memorial for all victims of abuse, especially that directed against women and children. We need to be reminded of those who died without ever knowing anybody cared.

Remorse, recompense, reconciliation, remembrance are what is needed. Stop engaging in pointless recriminations.

Neil J Brennan

Shanakiel

Cork