IRELAND
Irish Independent

Johnny Fallon: Enda Kenny must swallow his pride, gather his courage and apologise to the Magdalene survivors

By Johnny Fallon

Wednesday February 06 2013

YESTERDAY was a dark day for Enda Kenny and this government. The failure to give a full and unequivocal apology to the survivors of the Magdalene laundries will haunt them. In time that apology must surely come. Everyone in the country knows that the right time is now.

This is a matter of deep national shame. We have failed as a state and a society in our primary obligation to care for citizens. The laundries were part of an Ireland we would rather forget. An Ireland born out of repressive ideals and dangerous practices enabled by people who consistently turned a blind eye. It was convenient to become convinced of the merits of such systems and it was all too easy to…