Saving A Site Of Conscience

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From top: Gary Gannon; The former Magdalene Laundry, Sean McDermott Street, Dublin 1

Dublin City Council Social Democrats led by Councillor Gary Gannon have secured agreement on the development of “a multipurpose site of conscience” at the former Magdalene Laundry on Seán McDermott Street.

Cllr Gannon said:

“During my last term as a City Councillor, Dublin City Council stopped the sale of the last surviving Magdalene Laundry in State ownership…

I am immensely proud to say that as part of the Dublin Agreement, which will be Council policy for the next five years, we have secured an agreement on the development of a multipurpose site of conscience…

Work has already begun in listening to the views of survivors, their families and women’s groups to develop plans for the site that recognise the social, cultural and personal history that it symbolises.

“This opportunity allows us to repurpose this building into a physical space where future generations can touch the walls and know that what occurred in these institutions were not exaggerated.”

In fairness.

Previously: Gary Gannon: The Last Laundry

Rollingnews

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13 thoughts on “Saving A Site Of Conscience

  1. A Person

    Surely demolition and rebuild for housing would be a much better option, as opposed to a politician seeking headlines?

    1. postmanpat

      but then you wouldn’t be able to “touch the walls and know that what occurred in these institutions …” blah blah (and later go to mass anyway , get the kids baptized , holy communion’ed ,confirmed and continue to support a pedophile ring that still bums kids in other countries, but. but.. you know…. lessons learned and all that,…. I guess.? and anyway the bumming is happening in other counties and under reported so it may as well not be happening, and not to Irish people even if it was, so that’s all that matters ,so its all good. big pat on the back team!!! Gary Gannon for president!!! hip hip horrayyy

  2. Joe Small

    Its an imposing building and all the more so after reading some of the stories of women trying to escape. I hope it becomes a centre for community development with some space devoted to remembering. Its too big to be a monument of its own and the locality needs all the help it can get.

    1. Rob_G

      Indeed; all the more pity that it wasn’t turned into a hotel & social housing, as was proposed.

      1. Daisy Chainsaw

        And the social housing element would somehow have been changed to private housing or removed altogether as soon as demolition started.

  3. Zaccone

    It’d be far better redeveloped as a large apartment building. But that would involve solving real world problems, instead of virtue signalling. Which apparently isn’t Gary’s style.

  4. Spaghetti Hoop

    It’s a beautiful building. The ground floor would be perfect as a library / skills and training centre, with apartments overhead. What’s this ‘touching of walls’ nonsense?

  5. Al Bin Man

    I deplore socdem virtue signalling – perhaps I’ll ease off a little on my relentless aggression and name calling too. Thanks BS – seems I CAN take a friendly hint after all.

  6. Vanessa the Holy Face of Frilly Keane

    What a waste
    Sorry Cllr Gannon
    But no

    Bollocking around with a facility that can be utilised for social housing, assisted living, even a young persons accommodation facility with on site learning and skills training, is, and I hate to say this, you taking a particular platform in the wrong directions.

    Survivors of Mother & Baby homes, Magdalene Laundries, Industrial Schools and their families do not want to touch the walls
    They want to know what happened to their records, they want to know why files are redacted and or being archived and sealed for 75 years, they want to know what happened to their siblings, their friends, their children.
    They want facts, and truths and contrition
    Not monuments

    If that was the case the Tuam Survivors Network would make do with a plaque over a Septic Tank and an exhibition in NUIG

    And I can promise you they, which includes me btw; won’t be having a bitta that

    What you have achieved there Councillor is provide an opportunity for the Religious Orders and the State to be able to point to something the Survivors of the biggest Criminal Gang in the State have had provided to them.

    Rather than, I dunno, like giving Survivors and adopted people access to their records and files?
    Having a full exhumation and Forensic autopsy on bodies found on sites of these homes – followed by Inquest for each set of human remains, and the creation of DNA archive so their families may one day find them?

    I dunno
    Maybe its just me
    I’m done with allowing Survivors to plamaussed off with talkers, forums, reports, rallys, seminars, summer schools, petitions, whatever this is.

    Sites of Conscience
    That’s even more of a Terry Prone’ism than So?

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