Magdalene "Training" Camp Summerhill Wexford

vicwatson

Yes, they called it a "training" school/camp or whatever so it wasn't allowed be considered a "Magdalene Laundry", even though we all know it was.

But where was it located exactly? I heard it was Summerhill, Wexford. Is it where there is now a housing estate across from the corner of Wexford Park ?? or...?

McLoughlin

St Michaels Industrial School and Orphange Top of Summerhill and your correct the housing estate would have been the playground it was an orphange and school not a Magdeline place mostly children. There was an infamous round up in the late 60s early 70s of children to stop it closing

There was lso a primary school there and when Kennedy park opened it stopped been a primary school.

The sisters of mercy ran the school they now live across the road

vicwatson

McLoughlin wrote: »

St Michaels Industrial School and Orphange Top of Summerhill and your correct the housing estate would have been the playground it was an orphange and school not a Magdeline place mostly children. There was an infamous round up in the late 60s early 70s of children to stop it closing

There was lso a primary school there and when Kennedy park opened it stopped been a primary school.

The sisters of mercy ran the school they now live across the road

Was it not mostly children in the Magdalene laundries?

Was it called St.Mary's no??

Was it on the corner on the St.Peters side of the road? here - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Summerhill,+Wexford,+Ireland&hl=en&ll=52.333369,-6.474225&spn=0.003009,0.008256&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=62.70117,135.263672&oq=summerhill+wexford&hnear=Summerhill,+Castlelane,+County+Wexford,+Ireland&t=m&z=18&layer=c&cbll=52.333521,-6.474475&panoid=1AnKTQ0vhwRqIVYuNMPA7g&cbp=12,42.46,,0,-2.11

McLoughlin

Women were in the Magdalene laundries, St Mary's is house on the opposite side by the bishops palace and yeah it was on the corner

JayEnnis

vicwatson wrote: »

Was it not mostly children in the Magdalene laundries?

Was it called St.Mary's no??

Was it on the corner on the St.Peters side of the road? here - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Summerhill,+Wexford,+Ireland&hl=en&ll=52.333369,-6.474225&spn=0.003009,0.008256&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=62.70117,135.263672&oq=summerhill+wexford&hnear=Summerhill,+Castlelane,+County+Wexford,+Ireland&t=m&z=18&layer=c&cbll=52.333521,-6.474475&panoid=1AnKTQ0vhwRqIVYuNMPA7g&cbp=12,42.46,,0,-2.11

The history of the laundries is actually quite interesting, I recently wrote a paper about the Magdalene laundries & peasant fundamentalism and I'll outline a few points below for anyone who is interested. I can also provide some peer written resources to anyone who is interested.

Women were generally placed in the laundries due to having illegitimate children and for tarnishing a family's reputation.

These women, who in the eyes of the state/RCC were supposed to be wives; and wives were supposed to be mothers. This attitude made any woman who was unlucky enough to have a child out of wedlock a social pariah. This peasant fundamentalism led to many women being imprisoned in Magdalene laundries and also to a crack down on socialising with the opposite sex in the early 20th century.

Although the Laundries were originally set up to rehabilitate women back into society after conceiving illegitimate children, they soon became increasingly punitive. The women were led to believe that they were unable to integrate back into society and so stayed in the laundries and were basically seen as free slave labour. Often to the state. There was a massive hypocrisy involved as at the same time the church was not exactly an entity fit to be preaching moral values.

vicwatson

McLoughlin wrote: »

Women were in the Magdalene laundries, St Mary's is house on the opposite side by the bishops palace and yeah it was on the corner

Yes St Marys is the old "bishops palace" and is still there, that's not where I was talking about though, see the google street view

JayEnnis wrote: »

The history of the laundries is actually quite interesting, I recently wrote a paper about the Magdalene laundries & peasant fundamentalism and I'll outline a few points below for anyone who is interested. I can also provide some peer written resources to anyone who is interested.

Women were generally placed in the laundries due to having illegitimate children and for tarnishing a family's reputation.

These women, who in the eyes of the state/RCC were supposed to be wives; and wives were supposed to be mothers. This attitude made any woman who was unlucky enough to have a child out of wedlock a social pariah. This peasant fundamentalism led to many women being imprisoned in Magdalene laundries and also to a crack down on socialising with the opposite sex in the early 20th century.

Although the Laundries were originally set up to rehabilitate women back into society after conceiving illegitimate children, they soon became increasingly punitive. The women were led to believe that they were unable to integrate back into society and so stayed in the laundries and were basically seen as free slave labour. Often to the state. There was a massive hypocrisy involved as at the same time the church was not exactly an entity fit to be preaching moral values.

Ok, but do you know where the location was in Summerhill ??

cesaro

It was located beside the back entrance to St Peters College, there is a housing estate there now.

Supertech

All of the area which is now the car park at the rear of Peter's College was part of the Mercy Convent complex. It was pretty big, and ran from the top of Summerhill to the 'Nun's Walk' which is the lane that runs down at the back of Westlands onto John's Road. The ground that Ard Aoibhinn is on was also part of the complex. The housing estate on the corner at the mini roundabout probably only covers about 50% of the area.

museologist

vicwatson wrote: »

Yes, they called it a "training" school/camp or whatever so it wasn't allowed be considered a "Magdalene Laundry", even though we all know it was.

But where was it located exactly? I heard it was Summerhill, Wexford. Is it where there is now a housing estate across from the corner of Wexford Park ?? or...?

If you were standing at the crossroads at the top of Summerhill, head down along Belvedere Road...imagine a high wall running along the right hand side of the road. About a third of the way along this wall was an arched entrance into this facility. I remember a large courtyard inside the walls during the 1980s.

In the early\mid 1970s as a small boy I remember my mother driving along that road, and seeing a couple of women in blue house coats sweeping the pathway outside the archway. I asked my mother who they were and she told me to look away and not to stare, as the women scuttled inside the archway. It was like I had seen something I shouldn't and the women were behaving like they were not supposed to be seen.

What a strange country Ireland was back then.

vicwatson

museologist wrote: »

What a strange country Ireland was back then.

It's still a strange little country

Roche96

Hi I know you wrote this comment a good while back now, but I am doing a paper on the two topics of peasant fundamentalism and the magdalene laundries and the link between them. I would really appreciate if you could share some of your knowledge since you've completed a paper on the topic already. I would really appreciate it. Thanks please get in touch

vicwatson

You should PM Jay Ennis