MARK HENNESSEY, London Editor Irish Times.
FOR MONTHS Basil Geoghegan has trained for an attempt in early May on Mount Everest to raise funds for hundreds of British-based victims of institutional abuse, many of whom are now elderly and frail.
The investment banker, who is co-chair of the Ireland Fund of Great Britain, is bidding to raise £100,000 for the fund’s Forgotten Irish campaign, which helps to fund the work of a clutch of Irish voluntary organisations in London and elsewhere.
The former inmates of industrial schools “were not forced out just by economic reasons, they were survivors of institutional abuse”, he says. “They have got their own Everest to climb every day and that was one that was thrust upon them, not one for which they opted.”
However, the voluntary organisations dealing with them, many of which do receive funding from the Irish Government, are now struggling with cuts of 20 per cent and more in aid from British local authorities and health bodies.
The Catholic Church’s compensation to victims – some of it in cash, but most in properties – is not “filtering” through “as fast as it should”, he complains. “For these people, every day is one day closer to the end of their lives so we have got to address this faster.
“Irish taxpayers are hard pushed. My message is to the church, show me the money. That money has to get to the point of need now. When money goes into government, by the time it comes out the far end there is an awful lot less. The money from the church is the bit that seems to have disappeared into thin air when you look on the ground.”
Geoghegan believes that many abuse victims still remain hidden in the shadows, unknown even to the Residential Institutions Redress Board. “We disbelieve that people could not have heard about compensation by now, but Ireland to us means the Wicklow Mountains, or U2. For them, they left de Valera’s Ireland where they had their heads shoved down toilets.
“Fifty per cent of survivors emigrated, but it is difficult to be precise. Of course, they weren’t going to go to the Irish Centre. Anything Irish reminded them of a terrible past. I am not surprised that these people are only coming out over time.”
Geoghegan leaves for Nepal at the end of this month, where he hope to make an assault on Everest in early May.
In its most recent awards, the Ireland Fund of Great Britain gave out £260,000 in grants, but the voluntary body, which benefited in the past from donations from Anglo Irish Bank, among others, is struggling to keep up its figures.
Sheila Bailey, the fund’s executive director, says: “We have donors with not so much cash. Along with services that are being cut, the demands on our resources are greater than they have ever been. It is an unenviable situation but one that many charities find themselves in.”
Illustrating the scale of need among abuse victims alone, Bailey says one of the voluntary groups it supports, the London-Irish Survivors Outreach Service, deals with 400 cases every month.
Tuesday March 14th.
Pauline, I was responding to a posting from Sr Sadtistic or some such name. I was not at all addressing you. I dont know how it came to be seen as addressing you. So I am sorry if it came to you.
I was in fact responding to be called silly and for being attacked for holding a agm in London .I responded the way I did because whoever Sr S is she/he was making a totally unreasonable complaint about holding the agm in London . Sr S and others could’nt get there and suggested arranging an AGM was ‘silly’.
So once again apologies if it appeared to be having a go at you . I wasn’t .
I address this comment to everyone writing to this website. Can we please desist from what I can best describe as snide comments and comments bordering on abuse. Thank you. Paddy. That is my first and last word on it.
well sally i have been thinking about how you discribe my comment. you used the words silly and pathetic . well that says a lot about you . if thats what you say in your offices to other people its very nasty.i at no time insulted you as a person. apparently your well admired sence of empathy is for office hours only
Sally
Pauline’s comment is neither silly nor pathetic, she is a lone survivor in a foreign country so how would she or other survivors living abroad possibly benefit from any UK or Irish funded group?
I know there is nothing you can do about the geography and so does Pauline, surely the only fair way is to disband all funded groups, pay proper compensation to ALL survivors thus allowing people to empower themselves.
Angry you say you have avoided anything Irish FOR 56 years yet you attend the London Irish centre!
Kay London
To vote for Paddy to represent people who have been abused please use link below
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/mandate-for-paddy-doyle-to-represent-survivors/ …Kay
sALLY THIS IS NOT ABOUT WILL POWER.the framework makes it impossable for many of us . Its not a trip back home. i am sure that as angry says you are a good friend in time of need but that is his personal story. i will say that i do not feel any need to take part in this branch of surviver culture.i dont see why we shouldnt be selfish. after all we worked in the instutions too. and we all have our problems survivers or not its moralising to say that thinking of ones self first is not natural.i prefer being honest. thats how we survive. i care about others but i dont know how to give back a childhood. so i wont try .
its the survivers who should matter . How many have come from different countrys for meetings about the redress board. it seems that none of them were informed. we have all had to except thatit was not a bit like on the papers.it seems to me that the idea was that we except the conditions and nobody had thier say in anything. Sally we can not travel hundreds of milesto meet a womens group that has been going for ten years . its too late we dont have the energy. and it would be expensive. we sleep eat and take buses planes and trains and taxis. All at our own expense. and what for.if its just to keep these services going so that some can talk. well most do without and have done without for all these years.so whats the point !!.
I am damned if I do and damned if I dont .
I am sure that if you did not know about the AGM on March 26th you and others would no doubt accuse the Women’s Group of holding ‘secret meetings’.
When we announce the Event , we are condemned because you and others cannot travel. I cannot do anything about the large scale geography of the UK or Europe or America or the world.
If I was in that situation I might appreciate thoes who are making the effort to communicate and not attack and insult them them for doing so and for trying as we have been since 2001!
This comment of yours is silly and patheitic.
As for the “”””SHAME ON IRELAND””””” website , IT REALLY IS A “SHAME”. I accessed this yesterday, AND I WAS PRESENTED WITH A “”RELIGIOUS”” SYMBOL IN THE SHAPE OF A SHAMROCK.!!! THE WHOLE BLEEDIN` WEBSITE IS “GREEN””, TOTAL ANATHEMA TO SOMEBODY LIKE MYSELF WHO HAS AVOIDED ALL THINGS “”IRISH” FOR THE PAST FIFTY SIX YEARS.!!!! .
IT SERVES NO PURPOSE, HAS NO INTELLECTUAL COMMENT, AND APPEARS TO BE BASED ON BIAS TO SUBJECTS NO ONE UNDERSTANDS.???
WHOEVER IS RUNNING THIS PERPLEXING NONSENSE NEEDS TO WAKE UP AND START CONCENTRATING ON SEEKING PSYCHIATRIC HELP. !!!! AND SEEKING IT IN A HURRY. !!!!!!!
Have a nice day Angry….
It`s always easy to “target” people who are ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING OF WORTHWHILE MERIT. In 2006 I mentioned the fact that “” the folly of intelligent people, clear headed and narrow visioned, has precipitated many catastrophoes””.
IT WOULD BE A HORRENDOUS CATASTROPHOE TO FOCUS ON THE OBTAINING OF A FEW THOUSAND EURO`S TO THE EXCLUSION OF FAR MORE IMPORTANT MATTERS. IT BECOMES A SENSELESS SCAVENGING PROCESS WHICH PAINTS SURVIVORS AS THE “””LOWER CLASS MONEY GRABBING ORDERS”””, SAID BY SOMEBODY WHO ACTUALLY WENT ON TO “”HIGH OFFICE”” IN DUBLIN. IF ANY PEOPLE ARE SUBJECT TO THIS PASSION, OF COURSE THEY WILL ACT ON IT, BUT NO REASON CAN BE GIVEN WHY WE SHOULD PERVERT CLEAR THINKING AND LOGIC TO SUBSERVE THE ENDS OF SUCH AN UNREASONABLE EMOTION, WHEN DAILY, MORE SURVIVORS SURFACE WHO REQUIRE HELP, TRAUMATISED PEOPLE WHO KNOW NOTHING OF THE REDRESS BOARD, FORGOTTEN PEOPLE WHO SPEND THEIR LIVES IN ABJECT POVERTY, ABANDONED AND FORGOTTEN IN THIS MAD SCRAMBLE FOR “” SURVIVOR VALUE”” WHICH TENDS TO PORTRAY US WITH THE “DISEASE” OF SHORT SIGHTED MOTIVES, WITH CONCENTRATION BEING FOCUSED ON MONEY TO THE EXCLUSION OF LONG TERM HELP FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT HELP THEMSELVES.
While “Sr Sadisticas Victim” above is entitled to her opinion and comment, rightly so, LONG LIVE FREE SPEECH, she really needs to get to grips with what she proposes as the “solution”. ?? IS MONEY REALLY THE ANSWER.?? WILL A FEW GRAND IN HER POCKET SOLVE HER PROBLEM.?? WHEN THATS GONE, WHERE DOES SHE GO FOR FURTHER HELP.???????. IS THIS PARTICULAR SURVIVOR PREPARED TO LET THE RELIGIOUS OF THE HOOK FOR A FEW GRAND.??? WOULD NOT A “”TRUST FUND”” IN PERPETUITY SERVE HER AND OTHERS BETTER THAN A “”QUICK FIX”” SOLUTION WHICH ENABLES THE RELIGIOUS TO ABROGATE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE LONG TERM DAMAGE CAUSED BY THEIR ABUSES.???
I`m painfully aware of the emotion which this “”STATUTORY TRUST FUND”” engenders, presently nobody KNOWS ANYTHING of the mechanics under which it will operate, that is, IF IT EVER GETS OF THE GROUND.
As for “”dangerous groups” you should look NO FURTHER than the TWENTY TWO “”DANGEROUS GROUPS” who PURPORT TO “”REPRESENT “” survivors of the Irish Gulags. If it`s of ANY use to you personally, I have WITNESSED AND EXPERIENCED THE KINDNESS OF SALLY MULREADY, PHYLIS MORGAN, MARIE AND OTHERS IN THE IRISH CENTRE WHO HAVE PROVIDED AND CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT, HELP, ASSISTANCE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE MEANS WHEREBY WE CAN HELP OURSELVES.
At least , through Paddy Doyles website Sally Mulready and others are getting their message out, THERE IS HELP OUT THERE, AND I PERSONALLY CAN VOUCH FOR THAT, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, “”SR SADISTICAS VICTIM”” TO AVAIL SURVIVORS OF SUCH NECESSARY INFORMATION.???
Your “focus” on Sally Mulready tends to lead me to the conclusion of your negativity and objection to POSITIVE moves to ensure that SURVIVORS , ALL SURVIVORS, KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY CARE, AS OPPOSED TO THOSE WHO USE SURVIVORS TO STUFF THEIR POCKETS WITH CASH, AND MORE OBSCENELY, TAKE THEIR SOCKS OF TO HAVE THEIR FEET WASHED BY THOSE WHO ARE JUST AS CORRUPT.
If you are prepared to denegrate GENUINE SUPPORTERS OF THOSE ABUSED IN THE IRISH GULAGS, COULD YOU PLEASE SUPPORT SUCH ALLEGATIONS WITH CONCRETE AND CORROBORATIVE EVIDENCE OF WHAT YOU ALLEGE, AS DRIBBLING OF AT THE MOUTH MERELY TENDS TO PAINT YOU AS JUST ANOTHER””RELIGIOUS”” SUPPORTER WITH A DIVIDE AND CONQUEOR POLICY AS YOUR ULTERIOR MOTIVE.
Of course, I say all of the above WITHOUT PREDIJUDCE.
SO THERE IT IS > THE ONLY WAY SURVIVORS ALL OVER THE WORLD FIND ANY INFORMATION to do with survivors >IS ON PADDY DOYLE’S SITE for many years) AND >SHAME OF IRELAND,otherwise we have not had any other way of getting Information about anything.
So survivors who live hundreds of miles from London many live thousands of miles some live in totally different parts of the UK from the North Yorkshire ,far side of Wales, Down to Cornwall,Manchester , North Scotland, Austraila, America, Spain Canada, Germany, France, China,, does Sally really think survivors who most are not in good health would spend many Hours on Trains ect just to go to London for a Womans group for the day ,It gets silly’er and Silly’er , Surley it would be right and just for the government to SCRAP THE STATUARY TRUST FUND AND PAY THE SURVIVORS THEIR RIGHTFUL COMPANSATION , STOP THROWING MONEY AT THOSE USELESS EVEN DANGEROUS GROUPS AND ,THE MONEY is so important so SURVIVORS can live out their days in Comfort,and help their children themselves.
Paddy
Could you allow me put this notice on your site please. We have already sent this notice out but your site attracts a lot of hits so we will be able to reach other women who may not to come.
The Annual General Meeting of the Irish Women Survivors Support Network will take place on Saturday March 26th from 12.30pm- 3pm at the Corrib Rest Salusbury Road, Queens Park, London NW6 . Queens Park tube is a few minutes walk from the Corrib Rest and a few minutes walk from Brondesbury Park BR Overhead train station.
There is access for all at the Corrib Rest and refreshments will be provided.
Membership of the Women’s Network is open to all women who spent time in Irish Institutions and in Laundries run by Religious Congregations, and their daughters and granddaughters and they are welcome to the meeting.
Thanks Paddy
Sally Mulready