By Claire O’Sullivan
Monday, July 05, 2010
IT will be another year before it will be known if the Ryan Commission’s one million written documents and oral testimony will be destroyed.
The oral testimony, while of potentially enormous historical value, is at greater risk of being destroyed as it was made to a confidential committee who by statute have an extra layer of legal confidentiality. Victims were given assurances that all testimony would be confidential. However, historians have argued that it should be retained for posterity. Last July, the Dáil voted for all the Ryan Report documentation to be preserved.
Secretary to the Ryan Commission, Brenda McVeigh said it is up to the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse chairman Mr Justice Sean Ryan and commissioners to decide what happens to the evidence.
She warned however that the audio testimony is highly confidential “untested evidence” and the alleged perpetrators were never given the right of reply. Commission staff are cataloguing the millions of written documents so they can give them to the chairman and commissioners. These documents obtained by discovery relate to individuals and institutions.
The bulk of work being done at present by the commission’s four full-time and three part-time staff relates to the examination of claims for legal costs. Most claims have been successfully negotiated by the commission but recently Ms McVeigh said a few have “broken down” and will have to be sent to the Taxing Master at the High Court for independent assessment.
This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, July 05, 2010
Done Albert!
We are now 2010, yet little appears to have changed in Ireland. What has happened to the “FREEDOM OF SPEECH”
Copied from the above article.
“She warned however that the audio testimony is highly confidential “untested evidence” and the alleged perpetrators were never given the right of reply.
I requested to speak to two Nuns in Moate who were perpetrators in my case, it was they who choose not to appear or defend themselves (as per my Solicitors.) Usually a no comment statement can be seen as suspicious.
What is Ireland about. The report into “Child Abuse” is on the Internet and there, for all the world to read. Why then is there this secrecy, Is it’ I wonder the POWER GAME.
Kathleen O’Malley. “Childhood Interrupted”
p.s.Catherine you and me both along with thousands of ex pats left “Gods own Country” for other parts of the world. Ireland has been shamed and the abuse will not be forgotten. I continue to give Talks on my Book, in so doing educate people who know little or nothing about Ireland the Catholic Church and the atrocities that were allowed to happen.
Kathleen O’Malley.
Hi Kathleen read your book “Childhood interrupted”very very sad indeed.Just like the God Squad parts of the book remind me of my own childhood spent in a convent in Dublin.Left Ireland when I sixteen and a half must say it was by far the best thing as I know dont know what would have happened if I had stayed in Dublin.Every day I thank my lucky stars for London it is my home England gave me the opportunity to do something with my life Ireland never did.
Ireland and the Catholic Church have lost control they have lost the plot and can no longer dictate terms. Those of us who have written our Stories and had them Published can not be unwritten. Fear not the world is aware of the henious crimes committed by these wicked people on Catholic Children (the so called Sisters of Mercy, the Brides of Christ, Christian Brothers and of course the lovely Priests.) They were as evil as Hilter, possible worse as they abused young Catholic Children. This does not mean what happened to the Jewish people was any less cruel or painful. I have also made a Documentary for RTE. My Book has been published in Sweden,Poland and Portugal.
Kathleen O’Malley. Author, “Childhood Interrupted”.
KEEP these letters as thier is little proof of the perents who tried again and again to get thier children back even the police dident want to know . all these people wanting thier own children were humiliated by the people in charge of all that . thay are now Historical documents.the other side of the story ,
films of people discribing what happened to them, and all the pain caused are very important, thay are a reminder to the predaters that the victims remember. and that it affects them for thier lifetime. and it is untreatable. no ,no one forgets
There’s many organisations and people who want, nay demand that these testimonies be destroyed:
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Charity
The Christian Brothers
The Rosminians
The ISPCC
The Legion of Mary
The Fianna Fail Party
The Fine Gael Party
The Conference for Religious in Ireland (CORI)
The Judiciary and Law Society
The Medical Profession: Remember that many of us were used for drug experiments.
The above is not an exhaustive list – feel free to add to it.
So what chance have we got of preserving these testimonies when we are opposed by such an array of powerful interests?
Actually we have a good chance, after all we’ve brought many of these organisations to their knees .. we haven’t finished them off … yet – but we will.
Paddy,
Like Pat Nolan I too have 31 letters written in the 1940. These letters were from my Mother. These letters were pitiful as my Mother was begging to take her children out of the Institutions. Six of us were placed in Three different institutions. I never met my Mother.
May Cornish
These documents must never be destroyed.
I have copies of original letters written by my father in the early sixties begging the government and the church for me to be released. When I received these documents it just reinforced to me how cruel the people really were, these papers were in the archives at Bernardos.
To destroy the documents would undermine what little remnants of trust there is in the Irish Government across the world in regards to the survivors.
Paul.
I requested to attend the Investigative Commission along with other Survivors. alas I was denied this , therefore the Reports into Child Abuse are inconclusive and there would not be a need now to expose the confidential reports. Those of us who were content to speak publicly would be available.
As is typical of Ireland another cover up by unprofessional persons.
All evidence is kept in court proceedures, so why is this different.
Irish people have a right to know the truth.
Or is this another Cleveland, where those at the top did not want the truth revealed and files were shredded.?