FULL RECORDS OF GALWAY MAGDALENE LAUNDRY DO NOT SURVIVE

Date Published: 05-Feb-2013

A report into the Magdalen laundries has found that full records into the laundry operated in Galway by the sisters of Mercy do not survive.

It’s therefore not possible to determine the overall number of people entering the institution on Forster street from 1922 until its closure in 1984.

The surviving records – could not be included in the report, as they do not represent all admissions to the laundry.

Only 132 entries were recorded on the surviving register – a soft book notebook.

However, the duration of stay is known for 48 women who entered the Magdalen laundry in Galway after 1922.

4 women stayed over 5 years, 1 woman stayed between 2 and 5 years, and the majority or 27 women stayed between 6 and 12 months.

Meanwhile, the Taoiseach’s declined to apologise to thousands of women for the State’s role in the Magdalen laundries.

The report found clear evidence of state involvement in the work houses – but also said there was a legal basis for the state’s actions.