Undertakers exhuming the bodies of 133 women at a notorious Sisters of Our Lady of Charity convent found 22 other remains. And almost 60 of the deaths at one of the infamous Magdalene Laundries in Dublin were never registered. The shocking revelations did prompt calls for a Garda probe into who these women were, and how they died.
The Sisters of Our Lady of Charity sold off land at their High Park convent in Drumcondra, Dublin, to developers in 1993.. Part of the land included a graveyard containing the remains of 133 women, many of whom had been locked away for years without pay in the laundry hellhole. The Department of the Environment granted a licence for the removal and cremation of the bodies at nearby Glasnevin cemetery. But undertakers who began removing the coffins found an extra 22 remains. Many of the bodies were buried with their broken bones still in plaster-casts on their ankles, elbows, wrists, and hands when they were taken out of the ground. One of the bodies was headless. Why these bodies had casts on them is no mystery as these women were serving penal servitude for life because they were found to have had sexual relations without the express permission of the Catholic Church.
It is claimed that when they were discovered, the department simply issued an extra licence covering the other remains and did not launch an investigation into who they were. Failing to register a death is a criminal offence. But of the 133 original bodies, just 75 death certificates existed. All 155 bodies were removed and all but one of them cremated. They can now NEVER be identified in the event of a investigation into their deaths.
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The then Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell was asked to initiate a criminal investigation into the unregistered and unexplained deaths. A spokeswoman said: “That’s a matter for the Gardai.” A Garda spokesman said: “There is no investigation into these unexplained deaths at the moment.”
The Department of the Environment was reported as saying that “no trace” forms were issued for 34 of the dead women and it could not search for the identities of 24 others because of “insufficient details” . In the case of the 34 women, the department added: “It appears that the statutory registration procedures were not complied with at the time of their deaths.” Of the 22 extra bodies, it said it only had details of 14 of them. The Sisters of Our Lady of Charity yesterday defended its actions. Spokeswoman Sister Ann Marie Ryan that the exhumation and re-interring of all 155 women was “approved by all relevant authorities”. She added: “We have had no queries from families about our decision in the intervening time. One family took the remains of a deceased relative to a family plot at the time. The remaining 154 were respectfully cremated and laid to rest at a public ceremony.”
The secret of the unidentified women, and many others whose dignity was ignored both in life and death, lies in a double grave in Glasnevin. It may never be known who they were. A grey headstone marked “St Mary’s High Park, In Loving Memory Of” features 175 names and dates of death, the first in 1858, the last December 1994. But the names on the headstone bear little resemblance to the list supplied to the Department of the Environment by the nuns to secure the exhumation licence.
Only 27 of the names and dates correctly match up.
The nuns’ willingness to opt for cremation has also been questioned. They had been told it would be massively expensive to bury them. The Catholic Church has always frowned upon the practice of cremation preferring burial instead. Canon law banning cremation was only lifted in the mid-1980s.
The nuns did not even appear to know the names of many of the women, listing them as Magdalene of St Cecilia, Magdalene of Lourdes, and so on and on. The final number so callously disturbed from their resting place was 155. All had died in the service of the nuns, working long hours in their large commercial laundry for no pay, locked away by a patriarchal church and society ruthlessly determined to control women’s sexuality.
These are the names of the women & children who were buried within the grounds of High Park, Drumcondra & later exhumed when the nun’s sold the land to developers as they had lost a large amount of money in G.P.A shares. Of 133 bodies only 75 death certificates were found to exist. It was and remains a criminal offence in the state of Ireland to fail to register a birth that occurs in one’s premises. All but one of the bodies was cremated and re-interred in Glasnevin cemetery.
THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE CHILDREN AS FOLLOWS:
Thomas A O Neill 7/01/1943
James McCormack 24/01/1945
James Christopher Doran 2/06/1944
Brigid walsh 4/09/1943
Margareth Mary Caffrey 5/07/1943
Thomas Matthews 3/02/1947
John Haslam 7/05/1947(3 years old)
Teresa Haslam 7/05/1947(19 months old)
John Malachy Boyle 23/10/1944
Philomena Frances Byrne 13/11/1943
Michael Corry 4/11/1942
Noel Peter Brown 26/09/1941
Patrick Lyons 27/03/1947, DIED 11/05/1947
Margareth Venables 14/11/1942
Margareth Mary Conway 5/05/1936, died 8/08/1936
Anthony Keating 13/03/1947 age 3 weeks
James McCormack 22/04/1947
Laurence & Mary Waters (who both died on) 6/05/1942
Damien John Sullivan 14/03/1944
Lilian and Kathleen Watters 6/06/1936
Rosaleen Donnelly 20/12/1943 age 2 years
John Augustine Kearns 17/03/1931
Anna Bernadette Kearns 26/04/1932
Thomas Anthony Kavanagh 12/11/1940, Died on 14/12/1940
Teresa Christina O Connor twin of Peter 29/04/1941 aged 8 months
Joan Margareth Duignan 27/05/1944 died 7/06/1944
Rita Mary Duignan 27/05/1944 died 3/06/1944 twin sisters
Mary Bishop 18/07/1934
Christina Bishop 5/05/1939
Martin Bishop 24/08/1952
THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE WOMEN AS FOLLOWS:
Anne Fisher…27/6/1897
Kate Delmore…14/12/1897
Esther Reilly….28/5/1898
Mary Hayden…20/11/1898
Mary Quinn….22/10/1899
Maria Walsh….12/01/1877
Margareth Callaghan…15/03/1877
Margareth Farrell…11/06/1877
Emma Buckley….29/09/1880
Mary Leonard…..7/04/1881
Margareth Keogh…..7/04/1884
Mary Kelly….27/11/1884
Catherine Coyle….7/7/1887
Eliza Cafferty….10/03/1888
Julia Clarke…..5/11/1888
Margareth Lewis…..30/1/1889
Teresa Finn…..1/04/1858
Henrietta Hussey 7/03/1860
Mary Anne Kavanagh….29/10/1860
Rose Cavanagh….16/04/1862
Brigid Brady…20/04/1863
Eliza Collins….5/03/1863
Mary Connor….1/05/1863
Elizabeth Dunne….25/11/1863
Marie Byrne…13/05/1866
Mary Burnett….29/04/1867
Sarah Connor….26/08/1870
Mary Mc’mahon…..3/07/1889
Margareth Diamond…18/10/1889
Sarah Bennett…..14/04/1890
Ann Carroll….7/06/1890
Sarah Hanlon…29/06/1890
Elizabeth Byrne….18/10/1890
Mary Scully…29/11/1890
Mary Anne Lawlor…21/02/1892
Catherine Grehan…..23/07/1893
Margareth Myars….6/09/1894
Teresa O Neill….19/10/1894
Mary Ayland….1/01/1895
Bridget Bates….2/05/1896
Anne Grady…20/05/1900
Margareth Brady…..16/10/1900
Sarah Grey….24/05/1901
Johanna Prendergast…..14/06/1902
Eliza Kelly….20/10/1902
Frances Hackey….20/12/1902
Anne Reilly…..6/02/1903
Alison Brady…..8/03/1903
Elizabeth Fagan….28/04/1903
Brigid Donovan…27/07/1903
Martha May….15/11/1903
Lizzie Mockley….28/12/1903
Mary Ann Quinn….14/02/1904
Alice M’cauley….8/10/1904
Esther Keenan…30/11/1904
Brigid Mcnally….6/06/1905
Margareth Dunne….10/08/1905
Ellen O Hanlon…..10/01/1906
Eliza Mc’nully…..10/01/1906
Anne Giblin…..6/02/1907
Catherine Odea…..6/04/1907
Mary Doyle….4/03/1908
Cecila ann Brady….17/04/1908
Elizabeth Caufield….28/01/1909
Margareth Savage….7/08/1909
Anne Dunne…..16/11/1910
Brigid Ward….12/12/1910
Kate Tierney….5/11/1911
Anne Barlow….20/03/1912
Anne Burton….30/03/1912
Sarah Davidson….8/04/1912
Belinda Leonard…..4/05/1912
Anne Morrissey…..27/06/1912
Mary Connell……13/12/1912
Fanny Buckley…..27/01/1914
Catherine Mulhall……3/02/1914
Sophia Barnes…..14/11/1914
Elizabeth Mckinley……3/04/1915
Mary Kavanagh…..13/02/1916
Mary Maher……26/12/1916
Kate Murphy…..19/02/1917
Mary F Smith…..4/08/1917
Charlotte Foster……5/01/1919
Johanna Dunphy…….28/02/1919
Ellen Ryan….3/03/1919
Mary Jane Grey……5/05/1919
Kate Quigley……26/12/1919
Elizabeth Culliton…….18/02/1920
Alican Ennis…….21/02/1920
Mary Dunne……23/05/1920
Elizabeth Duffy……21/06/1920
Eliza Mcnally……30/06/1921
Jane Leadon…..20/03/1923
Julia O Brian…..29/09/1923
Elizabeth Cogan…..18/10/1924
Kate Kiernan……5/09/1925
Mary Kelly…..8/12/1925
Emily Collins….18/08/1926
Isabelle Clarke….8/10/1926
Margareth Hayden….15/08/1927
Julia Byrne….22/11/1927
Margareth Mc’cormack 6/05/1930
Mary Ball…..18/06/1930
Joan Maguire……7/06/1933
Jane Kenna….9/06/1933
Margareth Martin…..10/06/1936
Mary Kinsella…..9/05/1937
Mary Margareth Nally…..13/06/1937
Margie Plunkett……15/06/1937
Julia Holmes….4/10/1938
Brigid Masterson…..19/10/1938
Lizzie Quinn…..30/08/1940
Ellen Murphy….28/03/1943
Martha Murray…..28/10/1943
Julia Somers……2/03/1944
Mary Clare Farrell…..27/04/1944
Mary Ann Morgan…..25/06/1947
Alice Bolger…….31/04/1948 THERE IS NO SUCH DATE AS APRIL ONLY HAS 30 DAYS!
Katie O Loughnane…….16/10/1951
Ann Teresa Hickey….29/05/1952
Wilma Mary Hertzburg…..27/07/1952
Bella Kemp……14/05/1955
Annie Brooks……2/10/1955
Catherine McConnell…..10/04/1956
Molly Moore….17/11/1960
Anne Hallinan…..2/01/1961
Brigid Howe…..30/09/1962
Mary Mahan…..10/04/1963
Susan Bateman…….6/05/1963
Mary Mooney…..30/05/1963
Helena Tropey……21/09/1964
Esther Byrne……6/01/1966
Bella Smith …..8/04/1966
Margareth Corcoran……..21/05/1967
Agnes Dunne…..4/08/1967
Annie Lutton…..5/08/1967
Elizabeth Mooney……22/12/1967
Brigid Supple…..13/10/1968
Rose ann Maguire…..15/04/1969
Ellen M Mc’kearney…..10/05/1969
Ellie Guest….19/05/1969
Christina Butler……4/09/1969
Louise Grayson…..11/01/1970
Catherine Tighe……12/01/1970
Josephine Kavanagh…..3/10/1970
Lizzie Kiernan….5/01/1971
Mary Brehany…..28/01/1972
Edith Haverty…..16/03/1972
Mary Wilkinson……22/09/1974
Alice Igoe……14/03/1975
Mary Mulhall….16/03/1975
Ellen Mc’kenna….17/09/1979
Christina Harrison….21/03/1982
Jane Murphy…..22/08/1986
Peggy Cummins……14/09/1987
Julia Treacy……5/11/1987
Eileen Mc’girr…..15/01/1988
Kathleen Floyd……27/01/1988
Rose Kavanagh……6/03/1989
Una Mc’Donald…….12/05/1989
Teresa Murray…..15/07/1989
Sally Bridge…..25/02/1990
Mary White…..26/02/1990
Annie Pollard…….29/03/1990
Kitty Govan……4/05/1990
Nora Gregan……17/02/1991
Nancy Gilbert……1/05/1991
Tessie Fallon…….8/11/1991
Nellie Harrison…..29/12/1991
Brigid Kelly…….6/04/1992
Mary Anne Scott…….10/10/1992
Elizabeth Power……i/08/1993
Mary Quinn……21/11/1994
Brigid Doody…..28/12/1994
Julia Kelly…….3/10/1995
Christina O Brien…..28/03/1997
Philomena Doyle……3/04/1998
The Ragged Wagon 