Dark Truths and Open Secrets – Who Knew What About Ireland's Child Abuse Scandal?

Irish History Podcast

Fin Dwyer

Ireland, Irish History, Norman Invasion, Great Hunger, Vikings, Interviews, History, War Of Independence, Great Famine

4.7 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2014

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Over the last few weeks Ireland has been rocked by yet another child abuse scandal. Newspaper headlines around the world have reported in disbelief details of how society in Ireland treated unmarried mothers and their children in so called “Mother and Child homes". Child mortality rates reached over 50% in some of these institutions.

While many around the world are understandably astounded as to how a society could be so cruel to children, in Ireland this is only the latest chapter in a long horrific story of institutional abuse that has been emerging over the last two decades. As a light is finally shone into the darkest recesses of modern Irish history, the question of how will Irish society deal with this is increasingly important. It is here where history has a crucial role to play.

For years the dominant narrative around abuse in Ireland was that it took place behind closed doors and that the vast majority of people had no idea it was being perpetrated. However historical research indictaes this is not entirely true. I think if we are to move forward and deal with our dark past we must acknowledge who knew what and why they were powerless to act. In this podcast, based on this article, I am going to look over some of the evidence that indicates there was a widespread knowledge of child abuse in Ireland throughout the 20th century.

Let me know what your thought of the show by contacting me @irishhistory on twitter or https://www.irishhistorypodcast.ie/

Become a supporter & access dozens of exclusive podcasts

Patreon www.patreon.com/irishpodcast

Acast https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory

📢June 2023 Update - New Walking Tour 📢

I am thrilled to announce my brand new walking tour in Ireland's oldest city, Waterford. Join me and explore 1,000 years of history from the Vikings to Cromwell & Strongbow to the Irish Revolution. Enhanced by wireless headsets 🎧 you will hear the sounds of the city through the ages and the words of the people who made history in Waterford. Tours take place each Saturday and places are strictly limited to 15 people. Book your place today at www.Irishhistorypodcast.ie/tours

*New Book: A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders *

My new book A Lethal Legacy - A History of Ireland in 18 Murders is available for Pre-Order now. If you order your copy today at Easons and use the promo code FD10 you get a 10% discount

Easons https://www.easons.com/a-lethal-legacy-finbar-dwyer-9780008555993

Promo code FD10

Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/irishhistory.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is a passenger announcement. You can now book your train on Uber and get 10% back in credits to spend on Uber eats.
0:11.0	So you can order your own fries instead of eating everyone else's.
0:15.0	Trains now on Uber.
0:18.0	Tees and sees apply.
0:19.0	Check the Uber app.
0:20.0	Hello, it's William and Jordan here from Help I Sexted my boss.
0:23.7	Our podcast is currently being sponsored by Amazon.
0:27.0	We love Christmas time, celebrating with friends and family, sharing all the festive joy,
0:32.0	and Amazon are making it easier for us to do
0:34.2	just that with their last minute deals. You can nap yourself big savings across a
0:38.7	range of products so you can surprise your loved ones with the perfect gift and not have to break the bank.
0:44.4	Share the Joy and Shop Last Minute deals at Amazon.
0:46.8	ends on the 22nd of December 2023. Hello and this is Finn Duwara and this is Dark Truths and Open Secrets. How long has
1:07.4	Irish society been aware of its child abuse scandals? This podcast deals with issues some people may find disturbing and has
1:15.7	references to sexual and physical abuse. I would be keen to hear what you think of
1:21.8	this topic. You can find me at Irish History
1:24.6	on Twitter or Irish History Podcast on Facebook.
1:29.0	Over the last few weeks, Ireland has been rocked by yet another child abuse scandal.
1:34.8	Newspaper headlines around the world have reported in disbelief details of how society
1:39.2	in Ireland treated unmarried mothers and their children in the past.
1:44.4	The focus has been around the so-called mother and child homes, where unmarried pregnant women,
1:50.1	highly stigmatised by society, were in effect incarcerated while they went through their pregnancy.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Fin Dwyer, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Fin Dwyer and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.