REPRESENTATIVES OF the four religious congregations which ran 10 Magdalene laundries between 1922 and 1996 met Minister for Justice Alan Shatter, Minister of State for Equality Kathleen Lynch and officials in Dublin yesterday.
Last month, the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, the Religious Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of Mercy and the Good Shepherd Sisters indicated their “willingness” to “bring clarity, understanding, healing and justice in the interests of all the women involved” in the laundries.
This was welcomed by the Government which considered the co-operation of the four congregations “essential to fully establish the true facts and circumstances relating to the Magdalene laundries as a first step”.
Earlier yesterday, the Justice for Magdalenes group had a lengthy meeting with Mr Shatter and Ms Lynch, and their officials, at the Department of Justice.
The Justice for Magdalenes delegation of Prof Jim Smith, Maeve O’Rourke, Claire McGettrick and Kathleen O’Donnell was accompanied by London Labour Party councillor Sally Mulready and Phyllis Morgan of the Irish Women’s Survivors Network in London.
The meeting lasted well over two hours, according to Prof Smith, “and was constructive in that all three parties participated in a positive manner and exchanged information and ideas addressing a broad range of issues”.
Prof Smith said he found it “most important” that Mr Shatter said State omissions in the past would be considered when addressing failures in its obligations to the women.
