Madam, - There is at present an intense public interest in the activities of the sisters of High Park Convent and the women who were entrusted to their care. My personal experience of the convent and nuns may be of interest.
The convent consisted of large, imposing buildings with a drab, dreary intimidating appearance as was usual in Victorian style public buildings at this period. For many years, I acted as veterinary surgeon to the farm animals - horses, cows and pigs - on the farm of High Park Convent. I became very familiar with the routine farm work carried on there and became well acquainted with the farm hands, the sisters and helpers.
The farm labourers were housed in special quarters in the farm yard and were well looked after by the nuns.
The sisters were kind, friendly and very hard-working. They had a tremendously onerous task. The women sent to them did not wish to be there and resented being kept against their will.
The sisters also did not wish the women to be sent to them but they accepted the difficult task of looking after them and providing them with food, clothing and a safe roof over their heads.
Today we have all sorts of modern detention facilities expensively run and staffed by trained professionals. The nuns were provided with no such facilities and had a well nigh impossible task to perform.
I became very well acquainted with a sister who was involved in the farm work. She was a bright, gentle and very active person. At the time of the second Vatican Council it was proposed that sisters would be allowed to visit their parents' homes. This was not permitted at the time. I asked one sister - her name I have forgotten - if she would now go on a holiday.
Her reply shocked me. She said that she had not been home on holiday for 28 years and she reckoned she would not go on holiday now as she felt she could not face back to the very difficult task of looking after the women entrusted to them and that she would wait until she went to her everlasting holiday in heaven.
I sincerely hope she has received a better reward in heaven for her dedicated unselfish labours than we would now accord her on earth. - Yours, etc.,
TADHG O'SCANAILL, Milton Fields, Swords, Co Dublin.