147 children died while incarcerated in St. Joseph's Industrial School in Letterfrack, one of the more notorious of the industrial schools that were run by religious organizations. Thousands of other individuals passed their entire childhood, up to the age of sixteen, behind tall stone walls. They were guilty of being poor. guilty of being illegitimate, and for such crimes as those they paid dearly.
This is the season of rememberance, of penance.
Those who made it through came out broken, their heads filled with nightmares that never go away.
The Pope sent a letter to the Catholics in Ireland. Those who have been made to suffer until the day they die were not impressed with his well chosen words. Where was he, where were his bishops, when complaints were lodged about the treatment of the children in the industrial schools?
What was done cannot be undone, but those who paid the price of so many blind eyes turned away would like the laws to be changed so that pedophiles face greater penalties in the future. They would like to see a sex offender registry and enforcement. They are asking to have some input into the disbursement of funds, rather than trusting to the State or the Church to do the right thing.
They tied 147 pairs of children's shoes to the ornamental iron railings. A little reminder, those shoes. Former industrial school inmates haven't gone away just because the Redress Board distributed a bit of cash around and the clergy said they were sorry.
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