Social Justice

Once I published 'A Magdalene Rose', I began 'The Journey Home', not just for the book, but to bring an Irish society recognition of those within the book, because for so long, for some 94 years, their names & presence were all invisible.

There are so many aspects to my book, A Magdalene Rose. It is a story that is rich in people and places, all with a story to tell.

When I began my journey, some 14 years ago, it was to fulfill a promise; a promise to find the truth.

On this date, 54 years ago, Mary Julia Breheny died within the infamous High Park Magdalene Laundry in Dublin having spent over 40 years in that Institution. Frank Brehany (See Note 1), has today formally launched a bid to bring his draft Bill, also known as “Mary’s Law”, before members of the Oireachtas in the hope that he can secure support or sponsorship for this important initiative.

The question of accountability for those who were made victims and survivors of Ireland's abusive institutional system remains a profoundly complex and morally charged issue.

Those who have been following my blog, or through the social networks, will have been witness to all that I have written about my book, 'A Magdalene Rose', since May of this year.

Both before and after I published 'A Magdalene Rose', I have been talking about the failure of four people's Human Rights and their Rights contained within the Irish Constitution.

Many Irish Americans have heard about the Magdalene Laundries, but few understand the full scope of what these institutions represented. Established through cooperation between the Irish Catholic Church and the emerging Irish State, these laundries were places where women, often labeled as "fallen," were confined and forced into labor.

The evolution of these strategies reflects a growing recognition that securing human rights requires not only moral persuasion but also practical mechanisms for enforcement and accountability.