ABUSE SURVIVORS DIVIDED ON MEMORIAL.

[Maurice Heaphy]

ABUSE SURVIVORS DIVIDED ON MEMORIAL

16/09/2012

Sunday Business Post,

John Burke

Groups representing survivors of institutional child abuse are divided over whether the state should go ahead with a EUR500,000 memorial to honour victims.

Dublin city councillors last week backed a motion by independent councillor Mannix Flynn to halt the erection of the monument in the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square in Dublin.

Speaking during a special council debate last week, Flynn claimed that he had the backing of some wellknown abuse groups in calling on the government to halt plans for the monument until abuse claims by former residents of the Magdalene Laundries and the Protestant Bethany homes had been fully dealt with.

Flynn said Buckley "does not speak for a lot of people".

The councillor continued: "I respect her right to an opinion, but she's wrong. I don't want to get into a row with people who are opposed to this. This monument is wrong.

"It suggests there is closure when there is none. It is pseudo-participatory memorial mania".

Christine Buckley, founder of the Aislinn Centre and a former Goldenbrige industrial school resident, said that Flynn was "the last person I would take heed of in relation to the needs of survivors of institutional abuse".

She went on: "This is, in my estimation, a publicity stunt. This monument would be so welcome, and it is terribly important to those of us who were in an institution. This is an absolute disgrace."

Flynn was not available for comment. However, John Kelly, director of the Survivors of Clerical Child Abuse, said the group was also in favour of halting the project.

Kelly said there were "intensely different" views among survivor groups over whether the monument, which was proposed by the Ryan Commission and has received Dail approval, should proceed or not.

The monument will include the wording of the 1999 apology by the then taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, on behalf of the state for the suffering of those who were abused while in its care.

Its design was announced by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in July following a competition. The winners, Studio Negri and Hennessy & Associates, were chosen by a ten-strong jury which included abuse survivors Bernadette Fahy and Paddy Doyle.
Dublin city council manager John Tierney said that, irrespective of the wishes of councillors, the local authority's planning staff would have to proceed with the project if the OPW lodged a planning application for it.

"If a planning application comes into us, we have no choice but to deal with it," Tierney told the meeting.

[james moy]

Regarding the Monument, opinion is divided by various groups,  just like the issue's  of the STF, yet the Survivor's are not given the opportunity to voice their opinion. On either subject.

Mr Flynn is , in my opinion, correct in his wish to have the erection of this Memorial halted until such time as all the outstanding issue's concerning the Magdalene Laundrie's, Bethany Home's, the STF , and the  Survivor's who are still waiting for proper justice and redress ,are addressed!

This  memorial , i understand , is something to remember the Children that went through horrible Gulag's of Ireland , and suffered the worst type of abuse , sexual and physical, and expose's the outfit's that were responcible for these ghastly crimes, the Roman Catholic Church, with the assistance of the various Government's of the Irish State.

While it is very apparent that a Memorial is on the agenda, it is only right that it is not erected ,until all the outstanding issue's are addressed by the Irish Government, and the Catholic Church of Ireland. There are sadly , many Victims of these outfit's passed on, but there are also thousand's of Survivor's still alive,all over the world,  and closure for them would be to see the Church and State get their head's together and bring about this closure, FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL !

[Geraldine Jackson]

Mannix Flynn is right.

[Maurice Heaphy]

I would totally agree with you Geraldine. I would also bet, Right of Place Second Chance were also in favour of this Monument.

[Maurice Heaphy]

Yes Kenneth, i totally agree with you on that. What they are trying to do is force closure on this whole saga, but we should not let them do this. They have NOT addressed any of the problems whatsoever, and as far as i can see, they have NO intentions of doing so.

Of course you have a couple of groups who are still in bed with the Religious down here in the south. Obviously because they are getting the odd few bob here and there from the Church. Little do they know that they are just being used by the religious for their own nasty reasons, but these stupid groups cannot see this. They would sell their souls for a few pieces of silver. Of course i do not have to name these people, as you may be well assured they know who i am talking about, and i have NOT gone away.

Please god, when this new fund is activated, we may be able to rid ourselves of all of these Parasites once and for all, who for so long have creamed from the misery of Survivors for their own despicable greed.

I want them all to know that, we have not forgotten them, and will always be monitoring their every move. They will always be in the limelight, and we ARE monitoring them every day.

Did That group (Right of Place ) get back to you after you last wrote to them Kenneth? i notice their Website has sweet damn all on it, which proves to everyone that they are doing absolutely nothing, and never have done anything for Survivors. Take care Kenneth.

[Maurice Heaphy]

Ok Kenneth, thanks for your response. They wont do anything for you anyway. I can see the predicament you are in regarding insurance in the States, as regards Brian Cowan, well need i say anything more, he was an utter disaster.

Quinn will do nothing for you either, if he had his say, we would all be damned at this stage. He is utterly useless, and always was. All they want to do is wash their hands of the whole affair. As far as Quinn is concerned, None of this abuse ever happened, because he does NOT believe it ever happened in the first place.

Don't be depending on ANY of the groups here in Ireland either Kenneth, you will get sweet damn all from them, as their main objective is looking after themselves, and nothing more. Thats the way it has always been, and not going to change now any time soon.

The groups are the ones being looked after, and that is FACT. They do nothing for anyone only themselves, and that's the way it will always be, as long as the HSE and the rest of them give them funding.

Good luck Kenneth what ever happens.

[Maurice Heaphy]

He is nothing but a scum-bag, just like most of the groups. He wants nothing more to do with Survivors, he initially said if a Survivor received €10,000 you got too much.

They have NO problem pumping millions into groups who say they support Survivors, when every survivor knows only too well, they dont.

Muppet's the lot of them, but dont worry, their day WILL come.

[Maurice Heaphy]

Hi Kenneth, at the end of the day, NONE of these people give a damn (Fact) they could care less either way. All they want to do is to call an end to this whole affair, put it all behind them, and hope that all of us Survivors will just go away, and leave them alone.

They are every one of them, rotten to the core, who could not give a damn what happens to Survivors. And they continue to fund Groups who say they represent us, when we are blue in the face telling them that they do not.

It has to come to an end soon.

[martin power]

I  WOULD LIKE A MEMORIAL BUILT, I AM FED UP WITH THE FEW SPECKING FOR THE MANY,  i want all my friends who are dead who lived short lives due to the effects of child abuse to be never forgotton, i am not happy about a great big cross in the middle of it, thats gives the church so kind of respect. i was a baby when i first went into the industrail schools and my time in such places had and has a huge inpact on my life, now with respect Magdalene Launries i  know they suffered there and they and those who support them should continue to do so. but its not the same issue i was a baby and i understand they were older for the most. i dont want Ireland or any one els to forget what happend to us in the industria school a lot of us are sick, sick of the continues infighting in these groups which gets in the way of helping those who need help.Its SEEMS THAT ALL WANT A PICE OF PIE WHICH WILL BRING IN MONEY, i am not inpressed with any group so far so say they know this and that but they dont, all that seems to happen is to point the finger at everone ells,

[james moy]

Martin, as far as i am concerned, there are still standing in Holy Ireland, thousands of Memorials, they are the Industrial schools, Convents, Laundries, and all types of Gulags, that were not in any way ,shape ,or form ,HOLY !

There are thousands of Survivors living all over the world, with clear memories of the shattered lives they experienced in these places, the Sexual and Physical Abuse, the starvation, medical experiments on Children used as guinea pigs, mentally and emotionally wrecked, Babies taken from young girls, to be farmed out for large cash "Donations", etc ,etc,    which is without doubt right up there with the worst crimes against Irelands  Children, produced and manufactured by the Roman Catholic Church, with the assistance of the Irish Government and its agencies !

A memorial is meant to be for the Dead, but a vast number of damaged folk that had the bad luck to born in Ireland and were put through these disgusting institutions , are still very much alive, their memories are their memorials, and the erection of a new one , for me, and in my opinion,  would not serve any purpose !

Martin, i agree with your opinion of the infighting, and the way groups dont seem to be practicing what they preach, but i blame the Irish Government for the overall situation that is ongoing, i feel there is only  one way that total closure for everyone would be for the Government and Religious to get their heads together, and address all the issues, for once and for all, they both have created legacys that stink for them selves, but the bottom line is that they dont seem to care, and thats their Memorial and insult to us all.

Keep strong

Jimmy

 

 

[Maurice Heaphy]

Hi Martin, i totally agree with you. We talk about it all the time but as usual, nothing is ever done about it.

Have to tried consulting with (Right of Place Second Chance) on these matters, or even (Munster Survivors Support Services) and see what they may be able to help you with ion these matters. Try them and see what type of response you will get from them.  After all, they both seem to have a vast amount of membership they claim to represent.

Good luck with your endeavour.