Madam,- I was surprised that Dáire Keogh (Opinion, September 6th), after his limited review of the Girls and Boys Town archives, could have come to the assumption that Father Edward J. Flanagan never denounced Irish industrial schools while in Ireland during his 1946 tour.
His argument is a rationalisation of semantics rather than a factual portrayal of Father Flanagan's feelings. Father Flanagan did comment in public on the Irish Industrial Schools during his tour.
In 1946 Father Flanagan toured Ireland to discuss his childcare philosophy, and to learn more about the Irish industrial schools system. Prior to his tour he had been in correspondence with former residents of the industrial schools, concerned citizens of Ireland, and members of the Irish government.
Through personal visits to Irish prisons and industrial schools Father Flanagan discovered a juvenile care system he declared to be "a disgrace to the nation". He stated publicly his concern for the child inmates of the industrial schools during his tour.
The Girls and Boys Town Hall of History Archives contain an extensive collection of primary documentation dealing with Father Flanagan's 1946 tour of Ireland. A newspaper clipping describes his presentation at the Savoy Cinema in Cork. Father Flanagan encouraged the audience to keep their children, and the children in their communities, away from the industrial schools. In private conversations he questioned the administrators of the industrial schools about the conditions in their schools.
In a December 1946 letter to Irish Envoy Robert Brennan, Father Flanagan wrote: "During my visit to Ireland, I was outspoken in my views regarding the treatment of prisoners, particularly those of tender age, and on no occasion were my statements challenged by anyone in a position of authority."
Father Flanagan wrote that he discovered people in Ireland unwilling to discuss or investigate the conditions in their industrial schools.
He felt they feared some form of reprisal if they were to speak or report openly about the Irish juvenile care system.
Father Flanagan was not done with his campaign to reform the Irish system. In 1948 he planned to conduct a full-scale, State-wide investigation into Irish juvenile care.
His untimely death on May 15th, 1948 ended his work to aid the children of Ireland. - Yours, etc.,
Father VAL J. PETER,
Executive Director,
Girls and Boys Town,
Nebraska,
USA.