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The site of a mass grave for children who died in the Tuam mother and baby home, Galway. Niall Carson/PA Wire

Opinion Tuam's 800 babies – a legacy of shame and horror beyond words

The misogynistic meddling of the Catholic church in affairs of this young state was detrimental to the blossoming of a whole, enlightened and fulfilled society – and nobody bore the brunt of that more than vulnerable women and their babies.

DEAR CATHOLIC CHURCH,

I find catching and naming you, understanding you, coming to terms with your legacy in my life as difficult as dancing with a shadow. And I have long felt I needed to express the following sentiments. Now I am almost beyond words at the uncovering of truth behind the Mass Grave at the ‘Home’ of the Bon Secour nuns in Tuam, Co Galway.

In the early years of abuses uncovered within the Roman Catholic Church, I listened to your euphemistic rhetoric by old and angry men with heart heavy, utter shock, helplessness and despair. Phrases such as ‘past events are painful’, ‘we will all heal together’, ‘we all ask for forgiveness’ for atrocity after atrocity.

I do not need anyone’s forgiveness.

Crimes against humanity ignored 

The recent revelation that a mass grave filled with the remains of innocent children was uncovered in Tuam, Co Galway on a site of a Bon Secour ‘Home’ has deeply shocked me.
It echoes Dachau, Rwanda, Iraq, Sri Lanka. It was carried out under the guise of care and cleansing, of the work of God and the Bon Secour nuns in tandem with the town.

The reality is often the brutal incest and rape of these women being ignored as crimes against humanity, in favour of forced birth, forced adoption, forced starvation and neglect of the youngest and most innocent members of our society.

Sadly, it often appears that this nation has somewhat reached collective saturation about crimes against humanity connected with the Roman Catholic Church. Very many have long switched off their tired ears and their clever minds, closed their hearts to words and, in turn, heinous acts – such as rape, abuse, paedophilia, coercion, industrial homes, adoption, indulgences, Magdalene Laundries and so on. Either through absolute horror, through sadness or, like many including myself, through a shame and guilt that is not in fact ours to own.

It has been reflected onto the consciousness of a generation. Very many have left your church with their faith rocked, some remained. Many remain in name, their faith often outweighing the sins and crimes of recent appalling events.

The sinister cost of Ireland’s freedom

The hard-fought freedom of this country came at a dark and sinister cost. The misogynistic meddling of the church in affairs of this young state was detrimental to the blossoming of a whole, educated, enlightened and fulfilled society. Far, far from the Republic envisaged for me by my great foremothers and forefathers was the oppressive hand of the Roman Catholic Church in our constitution, reflecting a dynamic far removed from Christianity.

There is no doubting that history is cyclical and all young states are fearful; politicians overly rely on hierarchical control in many cases; and in turn the poor, the new citizens from a culture of forced colonisation, are most often vulnerable as fodder for a new sad dawn of oppression.

And they say we judge society by the way we treat these people, those most vulnerable and in need. I do not lay claim to having the moral authority to judge – yet, if one is to value and respect the teachings of your Jesus Christ, one would not build palaces and statues of marble. They would not force women into prisons and steal their babies, refusing full and whole hearted apologies when reviewing the past, protecting their assets, often received as an honest gift from a follower of this faith, they would not side step honesty and truth and love. They would not hide from atrocities in awkward dissociation of acts carried out by senior members of their organisation, including the Bon Secour nuns. They would not inflict more unnecessary pain.

Jesus Christ would not see these things done in his name

Sadly, the Irish RCC has behaved like this over and over and over again. To such an extent that the institution conjures up nothing but sin and avoidance and dishonesty for me. It has behaved as oppressor, often attacking the most vulnerable. Nationally and internationally it has, in my opinion, side-stepped its absolute duty of care to the innocent and weak, through clever rhetoric and gross PR machines, often beyond the thoughts, comprehensions and capabilities of the ordinary person.

This Jesus Christ you lay your claim to, your love of, would not recognise the fanfare of hierarchy that has been concocted in his name. A plethora of abuses in his wake, far more insidious than those abuses preceding the Reformation of the late Middle Ages.

We are long, long past polite rhetoric, excuses and rasped apologies.

The early excuses and lies rolled out to cover up systematic abuse of mostly vulnerable children and women under the guise of religion is repugnant to human nature. I urge the institutions’ hierarchy, towards honesty, openess and enlightenment, respect and value for these dead children going forward.

I find the mindset of hierarchy so difficult to understand. All people are born equal in my opinion, yet in very different circumstances. And as human beings, it is our responsibility to ensure those around us, born into a more vulnerable position, are helped up.

How do we deal with this horror? 

I ask you what good a brass plaque ever served the dead? What a gross marking for these dead children. Are we to mark them as heroes on this memorial? As victims? As unfortunate creatures of unhealth? As murdered children? What of their living siblings? Are they to be informed of their siblings’ forced adoption statistics? Death statistics?

Are we to take each one out, piece by piece, and try to put them back together and wrap them in swaddling clothes? Or are they merged together? What of their poor mothers, left shamed through an act of biology? Are they, too, dead? What of the mothers still living in the Tuam area who cast a similar shadow of my own mother?

As a woman and a mother, I ask what now? What now?

There is no shame and never was in motherhood, pregnancy and womanhood, in reproductive autonomy, yet over and over again, historically your organisation made it so. Shame, big bully boy shame, imprinted on our psyche, a moving shadow.

What now? Where now? How?

We need to understand

I urge you not to defend your church now through dissociation with this, people need answers and healing, please do not say that your church was not directly connected to this, we need to understand why such atrocious crimes were carried out, with so little inkling towards humanity.

This has shocked me and deeply, deeply saddened me, yet again. When can we all begin to name this, name it as it was for the Irish people, a gross manipulation of the simple folk.

And finally, for God’s sake, Count Me Out of your corrupt organisation, because if there is any truth in the God you misuse for your own power, know this, she is watching you,

Eventually we all have to accept full and total responsibility for our actions, everything we have done, and have not done.

— Hubert Selby Jr, Requiem for a Dream

Elaine Feeney is a poet and teacher, based in Galway

Read: Multiple government departments to deal with ‘deeply disturbing revelations’ of child burials

Read: Mary Lou McDonald warns that Tuam mass grave could be one of ‘dozens’

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    Mute Ciara Whelehan
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    Mar 21st 2014, 10:21 AM

    Never been so ashamed to be Irish, it’s a disgrace, can some explain how Greece and Spain, who are also going through financially hard times, manage to treat their children better than we do, what the hell is going on in this country?

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    Mute Karen
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:04 AM

    Maybe we are finding it and they arent? And thats why we are so high up. I dont believe it for one second.

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    Mute Neal Ireland
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:49 AM

    Spain? Are you serious? The child-kidnapping capital of Western Europe.

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    Mute CMac59
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:53 AM

    Ciara we are more in debt nationally then Greece or Spain and we will be paying off personal, business and public debt for generations. Quality of life down for everyone save the protested elites at the cost to the public purse.

    The austerity measures and increased taxes, charges, levies and fees are affecting people far more than is recorded in the pro-government media.

    These figures should dispel the idiotic notion we are over the worst and have turned the corner. We have not. If we go by official Ireland we have been turning the corner since Lenihan saw the green shoots – or else it is some corner. Still dozy Nonoan dis say we were ready to take off when the up turn comes. another man who believes in his own lies; he has to! We live in the real world.

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    Mute Hung Xi
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    Mar 21st 2014, 12:46 PM

    Bury your head in the sand Karen. That’ll work.

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    Mute Alan Reardon
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    Mar 21st 2014, 1:44 PM

    Ciara, what’s wrong is our politicians are more concerned about paying off the bond holders so that when they give up politics and take their noses out of the overpaid trough, there will be enough money left to retire on a big lifelong pension like Cowen, Ahern and company. They don’t care about out children at all and I agree with your sentiments. The lies they keep telling us about youth unemployment levels falling is disgusting, it is only falling because our children are being forced to emigrate. We need new politics in Ireland of the likes of Shane Ross who calls a spade a spade.

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    Mute Joe Burns
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    Mar 23rd 2014, 2:26 PM

    Ciara, it’s because those countries have the lowest number of social workers. There was supposedly a “shortage” of social workers in Ireland and when they added 260, the numbers of children increased to 3.7 TIMES more children taken than the UK on a per capita basis in 2011. The rate of dysfunction in a society is proportionately related to the number of Social “Scientists” it has.

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    Mute nialls
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    Mar 21st 2014, 10:32 AM

    The countries with the lowest rate of suicide are the countries with the warmest climates. That’s actually really interesting. Maybe sunlight is more important than we thought?

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    Mute Farbin
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    Mar 21st 2014, 10:43 AM

    More important than you thought? If you are only realising that sunshine is important for happiness, then you are really slow

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    Mute Aideen O M
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    Mar 21st 2014, 12:36 PM

    The UK is up there though and their climate wouldn’t be too dissimilar than our own.

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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Mar 21st 2014, 12:47 PM

    No. Correlation doesn’t imply causation. There is no link between well-being and warm weather. It’s paradoxical.

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    Mute business
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    Mar 21st 2014, 10:23 AM

    very shocking figures.

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    Mute Andrew O Sullivan
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    Mar 21st 2014, 8:25 PM

    “The Ireland that we dreamed of” guff led us nowhere but into a “mé fein” vulgarity: selfishness and numbing savagery are robbing us of our very souls.
    http://www.sligotoday.ie/details.php?id=30298

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    Mute Straighttalker
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    Mar 21st 2014, 10:08 AM

    how is our incompetent government giving millions in over seas aid ,while our own people are homeless and now it transpires children are suffering?

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    Mute Brian Keelty
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    Mar 21st 2014, 10:34 AM

    The biggest abuser if chikdren in this state, is the state. Francis Fitzgerald would have us make the figures worse with her lies

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    Mute John Campbell
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    Mar 21st 2014, 10:53 AM

    Minister Fitzgerald is strangely silent on this issue. Could it be that she has run out of institutions other than the State to blame?

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    Mute Tuskar Rock
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    Mar 21st 2014, 4:51 PM

    One wonders – does Ireland hold the world record under the heading “inability to accept responsibility for one’s own actions (or lack of)”?

    Personally, I blame British Rule..

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    Mute Joe Burns
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    Mar 23rd 2014, 2:14 PM

    John, she’s busy establishing “No Fry Zones” around schools because of the “obesity crisis” with Irish children (apparently in D4 where they can afford takeaways). But not too concerned about the homeless children that she and her cohorts created by making it easier for banks (that we own) to take houses. And not too concerned about the at least 20% of all Irish children who go to school or bed hungry because of all the austerity measures, that she supported and voted in favour of, while their parents are starving themselves to pay the government.
    http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/ban-on-takeaways-near-schools-to-fight-obesity-30109368.html

    She also took the same corrupt and incompetent people responsible for the current mess that is Child “Protection”, rebranded them, gave them more money to take more children into “Care”. Ireland took 3.7 times more children than the UK on a per capita basis than the UK who had a bumper year in 2011. Not a word about that even though I raised it during the corrupt Children’s Referendum, which has not passed into law yet as teh Supreme Court must decide it it was corrupt. I think the lack of posters on the No side showed how corrupt it was.

    The worst child abuse in Ireland occurs in secret courts and it is rare that the public hear stories like the blue eyed, blond children kidnapped or the High Court case where they tried to take a baby at birth with no evidence.

    What you also don’t hear about in the Irish media is how Gardai are tailing pregnant women around 24/7 waiting for them to give birth, they do this without any court orders at the request of the CFA. Or the Hired Gun barrister who earned €1.3 million from the HSE despite not even been contracted by them.

    We need another Ryan Report to expose just how corrupt and unjust the system is but as she takes her orders from the Lobbyists of the Child Abuse Industry, NGO’s purporting to be children’s “Charities”, don’t expect anything to change soon, her successor wont be any better, they don’t run this corrupt system.

    What about the children who are “Protected”? read this. http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2012/0628/ireland/suicide-levels-among-children-in-care-nearly-10-times-average-198946.html

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    Mute Brian Keelty
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    Mar 23rd 2014, 4:14 PM

    Fitzgerald is an evil twisted woman who has lied time and again to the electorate. .. gooe luck next time bee atch

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    Mute The Polar Bear
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    Mar 21st 2014, 10:11 AM

    Children suffering in Ireland. Is this not our culture. (this is sarcasm for the people who need it pointed out).

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    Mute Vince O'Shea
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:12 AM

    and in tomorrow’s news – Ireland has the highest living standards in the EU.

    Where do they get such crap? Todays news is closer to the truth

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    Mute Patricia Ann McCarthy Moore
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:11 AM

    No one in this country is interested in Irish children suffering because of poverty. Take a look at the number of views for this story about poor Irish children, and compare it with the views on the story about some fellow building houses to help children and families in South Africa. The Irish either refuse to help their own or pretend it isn’t happening. As long as the shareholders of Ireland Inc. get their dividends nothing else matters.

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    Mute James O'mahony
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:30 AM

    Ireland does not deal with suicide in young teens and adults the way the rest of the world does. We hide it and dont talk about it even though its now a part of our teenage culture at this point. Theres one advert which is at least six or seven years old played on irish telly about depression and talking to someone. There are so many supports out there but we are never told about them.

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    Mute Joe Burns
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    Mar 23rd 2014, 2:21 PM

    James, I wouldn’t have much confidence in the govt dealing with suicide. The rate of children in “Care”, who are supposedly “protected” is 10 TIMES the national average.

    http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2012/0628/ireland/suicide-levels-among-children-in-care-nearly-10-times-average-198946.html

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    Mute Jack Daniels
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    Mar 21st 2014, 10:36 AM

    Best ignore these things and head back to fantasy land were the majority of us Irish live.. Ah sure be grand sure.. We’l be way out there in first place after we get even a fraction into that absolute disgusting debt foisted upon us ah great result for the government though pushing it out with killer interest so we the people will make sure future generations will be enslaved. Do people understand or do they just not give a f##k it really is unbelievable the ignorance in this lovely little island. We have everything but for reason we have nothing. Shameful

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    Mute Taxi Bill
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    Mar 21st 2014, 12:13 PM

    We can blame Government all we we want, but the answer mainly lies with the parents. (ˇabuse, neglect, violence and suicide.) Yes I know some people are under far more financial pressure as a result of the recession etc but that still does not excuse the treatment of some children. There are many people from low/high income family who are under the same stress but still do a great job and the words “abuse, neglect, violence” could never be attached to them.

    There are SOME parents who simply dont give a f**K about their children for whatever reason, a start would be to send the children to school (with some food in their bellies!) in the first place and make sure their 5 to 7 olds are not playing chicken on the road at 11.00 pm . (I kid you not!) (No kids in school, no dole, sorry! its now called job seekers sic! as we now know “job seeking” is the last thing on SOME peoples mind, RANT OVER!!!!!)

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Mar 21st 2014, 2:00 PM

    That’s actually quite a disturbing point of view.

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    Mute Banking Bad
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    Mar 21st 2014, 2:24 PM

    Why? Because he placed responsibility on the doorstep of someone other than the Government?

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Mar 21st 2014, 6:05 PM

    Because it mythologises child and family poverty.
    It lets the government off the hook for policies that cause inequality.
    Because it’s untrue.

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    Mute Catherine Mill
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    Mar 21st 2014, 6:11 PM

    Interesting. I did not send my kids to school. i took no dole. My children emigrated as their expertise was too advanced for Ireland. Please clarify how this can be.?
    Oh and children in state care are 7 times more likely to be abused than with natural parents.

    How do you explain that? despite all the money foster carers get to look after the same children, and tax free- our money.

    “The basic fostering allowance is currently €352 per week, per child. We understand that some children have more challenging needs and requirements than others, so enhanced payments can be made for certain types of placement.
    What can it be used for?
    Your fostering allowance takes into account the costs of living with a foster child. This includes:
    Food
    Clothing
    Basic travel
    Household bills
    Everyday living
    Is tax relief available for foster carers?
    The allowances you receive when fostering with us are exempt from taxation under the Finance Bill 2005. This also means that the money you earn isn’t classed as income when applying for certain benefits and will not affect your ability to receive disability allowance, disability benefit, unemployment assistance or a medical card.
    http://www.fosteringfirstireland.ie/want-to-foster/allowances-and-fees/

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    Mute Taxi Bill
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    Mar 21st 2014, 6:53 PM

    Paul, we know that there is child and family poverty, the question is WHY? Perhaps some working people are put to the pin of their collars with all the new taxes (governments fault) as well as all the normal day to day expenses and pay for everything ( no medical cards, school books etc) whereas there are huge numbers who are in receipt of every social benefit known to man and still end up in poverty. WHY? Its not for the want of taxpayers hard earned cash being thrown at the problem, or perhaps THAT is part of the problem.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Mar 21st 2014, 7:04 PM

    Policy and administration.

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    Mute Patricia Ann McCarthy Moore
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    Mar 22nd 2014, 10:56 AM

    Catherine. Fostering is a lucrative business in Ireland. Middle class foster parents with a bit of pull, can have their mortgages paid on a few properties, by pulling a few strings with the friends in social services. If even half the money paid to foster parents was given to the natural parents it would go a long way towards keeping a struggling family together.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Mar 22nd 2014, 2:15 PM

    Agreed,
    Policy and administration.

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    Mute Joseph O'Regan
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:25 AM

    In this country we have a history of State sponsored and institutional child abuse. Past Governments turned a blind eye to what was going on and many people are still living in denial.

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    Mute Jean Martin
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:01 AM

    this countries abuse/neglect of children/women is inbred……its just the way things have always been and there seems no sign of that changing any time soon. strange that isn’t it being that we are all such a good living catholic people…..i can see all the red thumbs…..”its not me”…….someone is doing it……and doing a lot of it if this pole is anything to go by.

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    Mute Patricia Ann McCarthy Moore
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:31 AM

    Well said.

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    Mute Mindfulirish
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:06 AM

    It seems when they grow up into teenage years and beyond the abide continues. 3000 approx have committed suicide over the last 10 years – still not a lot of help. 8.4 million funding. Irish language 4Billion just to teach it. Scandalous.

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    Mute Farbin
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    Mar 21st 2014, 10:29 AM

    What do you expect when you live in a nanny state

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    Mute Siobhán Mooney
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:21 AM

    Holy fudge! I wonder if the consistently higher figures for intentional injuries of male children have anything to do with higher rates of suicide for men later in life… Even if not, it’s fairly shocking on its own. People should have just as many compunctions about hurting a boy as hurting a girl – and, in both cases, it should happen less than it does, ideally not at all.

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    Mute Shane Hickey
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:18 AM

    A national disgrace

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    Mute Irene Naughton
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    Mar 21st 2014, 1:37 PM

    a report last wk stated below average levels of suicide and ths report states the 2nd highest in men. wtf?as for the a***holes n govt. who kdp talkn sh**e sayn we are turning the corner wot a load of crap. y is gas going up again in April and its just after going up. coal is going up. y is ths allowed? patricia it is not that ppl arent interested it is just quite a depressing headline and we seem to be subject to continuous bad news sn when ppl c that they simply can not cope reading more tragic and extremely maddening news.

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    Mute Tara Lorraine Barnes
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    Mar 21st 2014, 4:09 PM

    God very shocking figures, my heart is breaking for the poor kids

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    Mute Nelly Bergman
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    Mar 21st 2014, 11:55 AM

    We’re not far apart from 2 scandinavian champions of human rights. It kind of negates the poverty and social exclusion argument. This is NOT to say we are not failing our vulnerable children.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Mar 21st 2014, 1:57 PM

    Suicide. Obviously.

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    Mute Michelle Rogers
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    Mar 21st 2014, 7:16 PM

    OECD figures that compare countries the world over are enlightening. I think we are at the bottom in education for asking the opinion of learners on their learning environment – we just never do it. And our young people in the My World youth mental health survey of 14,000 young people said that school is by far the biggest stressor in their lives. We have an unenlightened teaching approach that relies on rote learning. These facts show we are not a society that is respectful of children and young people or wishes to listen to their view, even though countries that do have better youth mental health, better school results. A Royal College of Surgeons study recently said Irish young people have the worst mental health in Europe.

    We could do what other countries do and actually implement the Government’s (voluntary) guidelines for a whole school approach to promoting positive youth mental health and preventing suicide. School is one place where all young people are and we could take an example from other countries who do operate these programmes. Even the UK with its bad education system has SEAL (social and emotional aspects of learning) in all schools.

    But we will just keep burying our heads in the sand as more young people get mentally ill or kill themselves. Keep blaming the parents. Keep making excuses. Keep avoiding the fact that countries that do something about it actually get results.

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    Mute Mark Fingelton
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    Mar 22nd 2014, 1:06 AM

    Everyone knows that the church and the state in collusion with so called child protection are the Most Prolific Child sexual Abusers in History Doo

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