The following examples and quotations relate to the majority of women who
shared their stories with the Committee and who indicated that they had never
experienced or seen physical punishment in a Magdalen Laundry:
- One woman summarised her treatment in a Magdalen Laundry by
saying “I might have been given out to, but I was never beaten”.1

- Another woman said about the same Magdalen Laundry “I was never
beaten and I never seen anyone beaten”.2

- Another woman said “It has shocked me to read in papers that we were
beat and our heads shaved and that we were badly treated by the
nuns. As long as I was there, I was not touched myself by any nun and
I never saw anyone touched and there was never a finger put on them.
... Now everything was not rosy in there because we were kept against
our will ... we worked very hard there ... But in saying that we were
treated good and well looked after”.3

- Another woman, in response to a question about whether she had
suffered corporal punishment at the Magdalen Laundry, said “no, mind
you, thank god” and that neither had she seen others hit.4

- A different woman who spent time in the same Magdalen Laundry said
“I don’t ever remember anyone being beaten but we did have to work
very hard”. She described the manner in which women would protest –
“If we were down and out, we’d go on the wren”. She described this as
sitting on the stairs and refusing to work.5

80. Dr Michael Coughlan was the general medical practitioner to the Galway
Magdalen Laundry, first as a locuм for three months in 1979 and then
continuously from 1981 until its closure in 1984. He continued to attend the
women who remained under the care of the Order until 1997.128 He noted

that it was his:
“privilege in providing a GP service [which] spanned a 16 year period,
from 1981 to 1997. I cannot comment on conditions before those
dates, only to say that I did not come across any complaints, symptoms
or clinical signs which might alert one to maltreatment in the past”.
81. Dr Couglan informed the Committee that he conducted a monthly clinic in the
Magdalen Laundry.

 He said as follows:
“My first attendance as a GP at the Magdalen Residential Home was, I
believe around 1979, when the regular GP, [named] (now deceased
RIP), became ill and asked me to look after her patients over a period
of about 3 months. My first impression was one of pleasant relief. I had
expected to find a very unhappy, deprived group who would have
significant medical and especially psychological complaints and special
needs. I was, therefore, surprised to encounter a group of ladies who
appeared to be quite happy and content with their current environment
and who presented with the type of symptoms and problems that
reflected those of the wider Practice population.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find that my visit to the Home
consisted of a formal Clinic in a well-furnished Consulting Room and
that I was assisted by a Nurse. All the Residents were allowed to ‘’see
the doctor’’ and the majority of them did. The Laundry was still in
operation at that time but those who were working their shift were
allowed time out to see me. My expected image of them all looking the
same in drab uniform was quickly dissipated when I observed that each
one presented dressed in colourful clothes and those who came

directly from the Laundry were wearing a type of overlapping protective
overall or apron, under which I could notice that they were wearing a
variety of more personal choice of clothes. The most striking
realisation, however, was that each lady presented as a unique
individual, with a unique personality, well able to ask relevant questions
and to express her opinion and, above all, ready and willing to gossip,
to tease and be teased and to joke.

Although I seldom needed to visit a patient who was confined to bed, I
was further pleasantly surprised to discover that each Resident had her
own room, nicely furnished and I particularly remember the colourful
bedclothes. I believe that they used to sleep in dormitories up to 1978,
when a renovation programme commenced and they had their own
rooms thereafter. I cannot recall whether I entered clinical notes in the
regular patient files, during those 3 months or whether I made my own
notes. In the 4 files which I found, my notes begin in 1981 in each
case”.

82. Apart from these recollections of his initial impressions of the Magdalen
Laundry, Dr Coughlan also informed the Committee of his ongoing
engagement with the Laundry as follows:
“[Named Doctor] retired and I was invited to serve as GP to the
Magdalen ladies around 1981. ...When I assumed this post I decided
that, because of their unfortunate life histories these ladies deserved
special attention and I dedicated my (free) time to them by holding a
special two hour Clinic for them on a Saturday, once a month. This was
much appreciated by both the ladies and the Mercy Sisters and was
always treated as a bit of an occasion by all concerned.

On my way to the consulting room I had to pass through a dining room
where I was welcomed by the ladies, seated around tables in groups of
four, happily chatting as they finished breakfast. I was also greeted by
[name] a local lady who was employed as Cook and she appeared to

have a unique relationship with the ladies. After I sat down at my desk
[name] a jovial Resident would proudly arrive with a linen-covered tray
laden with tea and buns. I was always accompanied by a qualified
Nurse, or if she could not attend, by one of the Nuns who assisted me
in her absence”.

83. Regarding the general pattern of consultations and medical complaints, Dr
Coughlan said as follows:
“On almost every occasion all the Residents came to see me and I
believed that in the case of many of them the reason for coming was
more social than medical. They used to share their recent news with
me, such as somebody’s birthday, an entertainment event that they
had attended either in-house or out-town, a trip to Knock and even to
Lourdes or to draw to my attention that they had been to the
hairdresser: ‘’Do you like my hair Doctor?’’. Almost all of them were
curious about my own life and would want to know about my family, on
an ongoing basis.

Assisted by the Nurse I was in the habit of listening to and to
performing a physical examination on each Resident and attention was
regularly paid to Blood Pressure and urine testing, along with blood
tests, such as Cholesterol estimation, from time to time.

Whenever I sensed that one of the ladies had something personal or
sensitive to discuss, I always asked the Nurse or Nun to leave and
afforded them the opportunity to elaborate in confidence. Interestingly, I
cannot recall any occasion that the patient complained in any manner
about her treatment by the Nuns in the Home, neither recently nor in
the distant past, but I do recall them discussing problems such as
incontinence, prolapse and other sensitive issues. Significantly, I do
remember that on several occasions during such more intimate
consultations I would be told, in a whispered, but happy voice, bits of
news such as “I had a visitor during the week. It was my son and it

Women who spent time in the Galway Magdalene Laundry have been invited to meet with The Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy, who ran the institution.

The sisters invitation comes following the McAleese Report into the extent of State involvement with the controversial laundries. In a statement issued yesterday, the order said it was “regrettable that the Magdalene Homes had to exist at all”.

The Sisters of Mercy, who ran the Dun Laoghaire and Galway laundries welcomed the report, saying they hoped it would lead to “greater understanding and healing”.

The sisters said the Galway laundry was “already in operation before coming under our care” and that “many of the women who resided in the Galway home remained voluntarily in our care for the remainder of their lives”.

Although the Aleese Report suggests that the records for Galway are incomplete, with many years missing and unrecorded, the sisters said their own records suggest that women “came to the home in many different ways”, staying for “varying periods of time”, including some women who “came and went on several occasions”.

The sisters said they “fully acknowledge and are saddened by the limitations of the care which could be provided in these homes. Their institutional setting was far removed from the response considered appropriate to such needs today”.

The sisters went on to say that they “wish we could have done more and that it could have been different” but that “while times and conditions were harsh and difficult...very supportive, lifelong friendships emerged and were sustained for several decades”.

The statement from the order concluded by saying: “We would like to extend an invitation to anyone who may have spent some time in either Dun Laoghaire or Galway to come and meet with us, if they so wish.”

The Morning Star Hostel (Legion of Mary) has been  up and running since 1927. Their Facebook page has 340 'likes'.  

The 'Home Sweet Home Eire' Facebook page has 61,176 'likes'. This group, a front for pro abortionists and the usual suspects was established in December 2016.

The Legion of Mary and Morning Star Hostel does great work but need to improve.

A group established just last month has 61,176 'likes'. A Facebook 'like' is lazy activism and doesn't reflect reality but the alternative Catholic media is poor in Ireland.

All our activity here in Ireland has to be towards the winning of power. This 'Home Sweet Home Eire' group will probably make electoral gain. The 'pro-life' candidate in contrast will get a handful of votes. The lack of support for Morning Star Hostel is a wake up call for Ireland. 340 'likes' for a hostel open for 90 years.

A Facebook 'like' won't get us to heaven, the faith will but these groups never seem to learn from past mistakes.

Getting a councillor at local level is a good start to winning electoral power. A little power. The Legion of Mary need to be out in the places where our people meet and gather. 21st January is Independence day in Ireland. Various groups will be in Dublin for the day. Hopefully the Legion attend.