Nun may have killed child in Cavan Orphanage.

[Sean Galligan]

Shocking new evidence has being revealed in the new edition of Children of the Poor Clare’s which is now available online as an e-book. Written by Mavis Arnold and Heather Laskey, the new version reveals in its Prologue, a chilling account of an incident which occurred long after the tragic fire of 1943. After the fire a much larger orphanage was built on the convent site. This building is currently being used as part of the Cavan Institute campus in Cavan town.

This new evidence revealed by a former inmate in the St. Josephs Industrial School which was run by the Poor Clare order of nuns tells how one morning after early morning mass in the convent chapel a elderly women from the town attending mass gave this girl and two of her friends sixpence. Excited by their good fortune the three girls left the convent courtyard and walked through the convent gates, crossing the narrow Main Street to a local shop to buy themselves some sweets. The girls said she was aged six or seven at the time. As they returned to the convent courtyard they were met by a nun who flew into a rage. She proceeded to pick up a piece of wood which had a nail protruding from it and struck out at the girls, catching one of them in the neck. The girl fell in the courtyard with blood pumping form her neck wound.

The girl never saw her little friend again.   Soon after she was brought by the nuns into a room where a number of people she had never seen before were sitting round a table.  They questioned her about the event. The nun who struck the child went away around this time. She could not recall the nuns’ name. This latest revelation about St. Joseph’s is shocking and proves the level of abuse which continued up until it was finally closed for good in 1967. The strong possibility that a child may have being killed inside its walls and the incident covered up will send shock waves once again and bring about yet more questions about cover-ups.

[pauline jackson]

THE NUNS IN THESE SCHOOLS WERE ALL A BIT DODGY. IN the 50ths and 60ths many nuns went  to different countrys. the ones in the institutions were jealous of them. many of them wanted to be missionaires. having to work in the institutions was a disappoinment to them. after the hippys had started interesting themselves in child development there were many changements. but in those days well thay werent very bright and followed orders this is clear from the sayings such as spare the rod and spoil the child. some sadist dreamed that up and it became an excuse to beat frighten and dislike anyone with a brain of thier own.

[Geraldine Jackson]

anyone remember >what we young children called The Angel Staircase  we were banned from going anywhere near that staircase  being young children we often sneeked to have a look    I saw  a coffin that had  a child in it . many of us saw this , Who was that child?? that was about 1954.