Magdalene Memorial

Galway Independent
March 1, 2017

http://www.galwayindependent.com/news/topics/articles/2017/03/01/4135782-magdalene-memorial/

A ceremony to remember the ‘Magdalene’ women buried in Bohermore Cemetery will take place this Sunday, 5 March.

The event will begin at 12noon at the gates of the cemetery. Flowers will then be laid on the graves of the former Magdalene Laundry residents buried in Bohermore. The event is “to remember and honour women who lived and died behind convent walls”, say organisers, who are working with the Justice for Magdalenes Research (JFMR) organisation.

Spokesperson Rachel Doyle said, “A group of us get together every year to remember the lives of the Magdalene women buried in Bohermore. It is important that they are not forgotten and that their lives are remembered and honoured.”

This is the sixth annual ‘Flowers for Magdalenes’ event and similar ceremonies will take place at Magdalene graves around the country. At least 1,663 former Magdalene women are buried in cemeteries around the country, many in unmarked graves.

Galway City Community Network, the Public Participation Network in Galway, will again sponsor the flowers for Sunday’s event. Commenting, a Galway City Community Network spokesperson stated, “Sponsoring the flowers is such a small thing but is an important gesture of solidarity. GCCN is happy to be again involved in the organisation of this important annual event.”

Flowers for Magdalenes is a family event and children are welcome. For more see www.magdalenelaundries.com. Details of the Galway event can be found on Facebook: Flowers for Magdalenes 2017 - Galway.