Understanding the Magdalene Laundries

Published: Tuesday, October 01, 2013

A research project aimed at promoting a better understanding of life within the Magdalene Laundries was launched in Liberty Hall on September 28.

"Magdalene Institutions: Recording an Oral and Archival History" was a Government of Ireland Collaborative Research Project funded by the Irish Research Council and conducted at UCD Women’s Studies Centre under the direction of Dr Katherine O’Donnell.  This symposium addressed key outcomes of the project as it comes to a close and was co-hosted by SIPTU Campaigns and Equality and the National Women’s Council of Ireland, who supported the campaign to bring justice for the Magdalene women.

The overall objective of this project was to contribute towards a better understanding of the system of Magdalene Institutions that existed in Ireland through the gathering of archival material and oral history accounts from survivors who worked and lived in the Magdalene Laundries, as well as relatives, members of the Religious Orders, key informants (such as paid hands and GPs), and anyone else who has a story to tell that relates to these institutions.

The symposium also launched educational videos and lesson plans designed to introduce British and Irish 16-year old students to the ethical issues raised in consideration of the Magdalene Laundry system. We have worked on this aspect of the project with the British charity TrueTube. The video, The Magdalenes, can be viewed on their website.

Around 5,000 pages of documents are contained in the research. They can be accessed at UCD archives.