NORTHERN IRELAND
The Globe and Mail (Canada)

PAUL WALDIE
BELFAST — The Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Jan. 13 2014

A sweeping public inquiry into allegations of abuse at orphanages and children’s homes across Northern Ireland starts Monday, in what officials say is the largest probe of its kind ever undertaken in Britain.

The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry is looking into allegations of abuse over a 73-year period at 13 institutions run by the state and various churches. More than 400 people have contacted the inquiry, including a couple from Canada, and roughly 300 are expected to testify at public hearings over the next year, providing graphic accounts of horrific brutality.

Some victims have already spoken about beatings, sexual assaults, bullying, canings and forced confinement. Kathy Devlin, who was sent to a home in Londonderry in the late 1950s and now lives in Montreal, said she and…