Whispering Hope

Book excerpt: On 19 February 2013 the Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny apologized to the women who had been incarcerated in Ireland's Magdalene laundries. In the audience sat Steven O'Riordan, a documentary filmmaker and founder of the Magdalene Survivors Together group. And by his side were some of the women he had helped. Nancy, Kathleen, Diane, Marie and Marina were confined in Magdalene laundries throughout Ireland during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The physical and psychological abuse they suffered at the institutions, run on behalf of the State, led to a lifetime of shame and secrecy. Inspirational and moving, these women tell their stories for the first time.