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Industrial school hunger strikers feel ‘trodden on’ as promised supports yet to arrive
🇮🇪 Ireland /Culture & Society

Industrial school hunger strikers feel ‘trodden on’ as promised supports yet to arrive

From Irish Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Three survivors of Ireland's industrial schools, who previously staged a hunger strike, feel "forgotten" as promised state support remains undelivered.
  • They met with Department of Education officials to express concerns over the lack of progress on financial assistance, housing, and healthcare supports promised after their protest.
  • Campaigners state that despite a State apology in 1999 and further promises after their 52-day hunger strike last winter, many services are still not in place.

Three survivors of Ireland's industrial schools, who endured abuse and staged a 52-day hunger strike last winter, feel "forgotten about" and "trodden on" as promised state support has yet to materialize. Mary Dunlevy Greene, one of the hunger strikers, expressed their ongoing frustration after meeting with Department of Education officials on Thursday.

We have been forgotten about and trodden on again and again. But we’re used to being ignored.

— Mary Dunlevy GreeneExpressing the feeling of neglect by the state regarding promised support.

Last November, the hunger strike by Dunlevy Greene, Miriam Moriarty Owens, Mary Donovan, and Maurice Patton O’Connell concluded after the government pledged financial assistance, priority social housing, and a range of healthcare supports for survivors of residential abuse. However, the survivors report that many of these services are still not in place, leaving them unable to "move on with our lives."

When we got the original apology [from then taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 1999] we were promised these services, and they were never forthcoming. We were promised lifelong supports for health, and we never got them.

— Mary Dunlevy GreeneHighlighting the long history of unfulfilled promises to survivors.

Dunlevy Greene, who was sent to Mount St Vincent Industrial School at age three after her mother died, recounted being promised lifelong health supports in 1999 that never materialized. Donovan and O’Connell were sent to The Pembroke Alms industrial school as infants due to "lack of parental guardianship." They have been fighting the government for 27 years to receive the promised supports.

Basically, we are 27 years fighting the government on this.

— Maurice Patton O’ConnellEmphasizing the duration of their struggle for promised support.

During Thursday's meeting, the survivors sought the appointment of health liaison officers, a dedicated housing officer, and the removal of a requirement to prepay for education courses to access grants. While Donovan described the meeting as "positive, productive, and is moving forward to resolution," the lingering effects of their hunger strike remain evident.

positive, productive, and is moving forward to resolution.

— Mary DonovanDescribing the outcome of the meeting with the Department of Education.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Irish Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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