I was considering writing up a post on how quickly things in the world can change if you’re not there to observe them. Not that your presence would have any effect at all as to how these events came about or turned out but it’s the lack of being there that makes the difference. From a personal point of view I mean.

And so I was considering writing up a post about all these things that had changed during my 11 days spent at the VA hospital in Boston however I found myself up against an occurrence that simply would not give way and unfortunately, until now, I haven’t quite been able to grasp the significance and utter appall at what has been finally brought kicking and screaming into the light of day for everyone to see. And I still can’t grasp the enormity of it.

The torture of Ireland’s children.

Children now grown. Children who were put under the so-called care of organizations under the Catholic Church such as the Christian Brothers and the Sisters of Mercy among many others where no mercy or care was ever shown and severe beatings (torture?) and sexual abuse occurred on a daily basis. I simply don’t have the words to describe what I’ve read in the May 20th, 2009 report by The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse which was established on 23 May 2000 in order to do the following:

• To hear evidence of abuse from persons who allege they suffered abuse in childhood, in institutions, during the period from 1940 or earlier, to the present day;
• to conduct an inquiry into abuse of children in institutions during that period and, where satisfied that abuse occurred, to determine the causes, nature, circumstances and extent of such abuse; and
• to prepare and publish reports on the results of the inquiry and on its recommendations in relation to dealing with the effects of such abuse.

The report covers the following periods:

The period covered by the Investigation Committee Inquiry, ‘the relevant period’, is from 1936 to the present. However, the complaints come mostly from a period during which large scale institutionalization was the norm, which was, in effect, the period between the Cussen Report (1936) and the Kennedy report (1970).

The report is a long and in depth study but it’s readable for the most part. I strongly suggest that you at least read the following pages in order to get a further understanding of the kind of utter horror and terror these children lived with while under the “care” of these Catholic institutions in Ireland. Care that was supposed to be provided by the brothers and sisters of the institutions named in the report.

Everyday life experiences (male witnesses)

Record of abuse (male witnesses)

Everyday life experiences (female witnesses)

Record of abuse (female witnesses)

At this point I have to stop. There was quite a bit more to this post but in the end I wiped it all out—it was inadequate. I’m quite surprised that I’ve just run out of words on this subject. It’s not that I don’t have extremely strong feelings on the subject of abused children, I most certainly do but perhaps that’s the reason for having to stop here.

All I know right now is that The Irish government is now working hard at not doing anything about this at all with the one exception of doing their utmost best to protect these habit wearing demons from hell from being named. And, of course, official denials from representatives of some of the organizations mentioned in the report of any wrong doing, blah. blah, blah.

And the above commission was only established in 2000? Little late on the scene isn’t it?

Unbelievable, but sadly predictable. And even sadder is the fact that these kind of institutional abuses were not just isolated to the Emerald Island. Not by a long shot.

I’ve provided the links, read them and the rest of the report (if you wish) for yourselves and come to your own conclusions. My heart goes out to all  of those who suffered at the hands of these sadistic creatures. May you find closure someday.