“Throughout the last two hundred years, thousands of Irish women ostensibly purged their sins by washing society’s dirty laundry: they achieved spiritual renewal through backbreaking labor, endless prayer, and the complete effacement of individual identity”
(Smith 431).
Ireland’s last Magdalene laundry closed its doors in 1996. Under the government’s 2002 Residential Instutions Redress Act, the Magdalene survivors were denied redress, and to-date they have yet to achieve redress or official acknowledgement of their suffering.
The Irish government has repeatedly refused to admit state complicity with the actions of the Catholic church. Further, the umbrella body for responsible reilgious orders has repeatedly denied any wrongdoings took place, has refused to allow survivors access to their records, and has refused to meet with survivors or the advocacy group Justice for Magdalenes to discuss redress.
Members of the Limerick branch of Sibéal Irish Postgraduate Gender and Women’s Studies Network are committed to bridging the gap between academic discourse and socio-political change through the means of cultural activism. As part of this commitment, Sibéal Limerick has organized a seminar and art exhibition on the subject of the memory of women incarcerated in these institutions, “Memories of the Magdalene Laundries: Feminist Dialogue, Debate and Action”.
This event will take place on Wednesday 27th April 2011 at 2pm in the University of Limerick Concert Hall building (FB028 and exhibition area basement floor). The seminar will feature speakers from Justice for Magdalenes– Dr. Mary McAuliffe (UCD School for Social Justice) and London-based Labour councilor Cllr. Sally Mulready (founder of Irish Women’s Survivors Group, London) – and Limerick School of Art and Design postgraduate student, Evelyn Glynn. The seminar will be followed by a reception and exhibition of Evelyn’s photographic work, which focuses on the Clare Street former laundry in Limerick.
The seminar is open to scholars and staff from Limerick’s third-level campuses (UL, LIT and Mary I), as well as members of the wider Limerick community. It is hoped that this event will cultivate a space wherein to discuss this important social issue, and will promote dialogue, debate and action amongst concerned citizens, academics, artists, and activists.
www.magdalenelaundries.com.
For further information, please contact Aisling O’Connor aisling.oconnor@ul.ie
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Ellen Hanna1 says:
Jun 16, 2011
The next thing we should do is attack our parents and the poverty they had us live in during 1940-50s. We should attack the landlords who wouldn’t let a room to a woman and child up to 1970s. I think we should revisit our parents – what right had they to have us and not give what present day parents give. The schools only taught us to read and write so we could emigrate – that is if we had the money – and send most of our earnings home. from 1966 they took PAYE tax from megre salaries so they could educate your generation.