U.S. Let Victims Down

Now that the redress process into abuse in Ireland is coming to an end — December 17, 2005 is the final deadline for persons who were abused as children in state sponsored Institutions in Ireland — I must say I am bitterly disappointed at the response in the U.S. to this issue.

As a victim of physical, emotional and sexual abuse for 10 years or so in a institution in Ireland, I was keenly aware of the abstinence of any real support for persons such as myself within the Irish/Irish community here in the U.S. I am aware that the Irish Immigration Centre in Boston made a meagre effort only when prompted to provide social support to victims of abuse.

For those people who do not know what this is all about — and it seems there are many — there were some 16,000 children abused in state run or sponsored reform schools, hospitals and institutions in Ireland in the period of time from the 1930s to the 1970s. The abuse to children from elders in their care included rape, beatings, food deprivation, etc.

Many of these children were to spend there entire childhood and teenage years in these institutions. Many victims of abuse committed suicide later in life because their pain was too great to bear, or used alcohol and/or drugs as adults to somehow help ease the pain and suffering experienced in childhood.

After pressure from victim support groups the Irish government recognized the enormity of the abuse, and in May 2002 Bertie Ahern issued an apology to the victims of abuse. In September 2002 an independent Residential Redress Board (RIRB) was set up to provide appropriate compensation to victims of abuse.

At the same a social service network was set all over Ireland and later in the U.K. to provide mental health, education, housing, etc. to victims of abuse. The Irish government set up a Minister of Children directly as a result of the abuse to children.

There have been at least two documentaries on Irish television and radio, and there have been two movies revolving around victims of abuse.

During the last two years the Irish Voice and the Irish Echo have had glaring advertisements from Irish solicitors seeking victims of abuse to use their services to apply for compensation to the RIRB. These advertisements in some cases ran for long periods of time.

Yet despite all of this neither an Irish government representative, or the Irish Social Services Group or for that manner any group or individual, offered any social support for the adults who were abused as children.

When one considers that because of advocacy within various social service organizations the RIRB had 12 information days throughout England, and visited England on a number of occasions to meet with abuse victims, the response in the U.S. has been disappointing.

Here in the States, just a month before the December 17 deadline expires, the RIRB finally advertised, albeit somewhat ambiguously, in the November 9-16 edition of the Irish Voice.

For me the abuse has led to drug abuse, numerous court appearances and almost jail, the underbelly of the American dream. I do not want to tell my story here, it is not the purpose of letter.

The purpose of the letter is to ask why has the abuse issue been so overwhelmingly ignored here in the U.S. Is it because the abuse was carried in religious institutions, and Irish in the U.S. being such good Catholics are afraid to rock the boat?

Maybe it is because abuse is such dirty thing to happen to a helpless child and not suited to the sanitized image of ourselves here in the U.S.

Whatever the reason, by not providing help or even recognizing the need to help abuse victims, the Irish American community has just imposed the blame for abuse on the victims, not on their perpetrators.

Anonymous

Let’s Show Solidarity

I am writing this on the day before a national day of action called in Ireland over the Irish Ferries dispute. The management of Irish Ferries wants to offer redundancy packages to Irish workers and replace these workers with “contracted” help from Eastern Europe.

The new workers will be paid substantially less than the current Irish workers. The hourly rate for the new workers will be €3.60 per hour.

Additionally, the company wants to “re-flag” the vessels so they no longer fly the Irish flag but the flag of a nation where wages are less that the industrial wage in Ireland.

I doubt that this issue gets much coverage in the news in the States, but, I would ask my fellow Irish Americans to support the workers involved and those who will demonstrate and protest in solidarity with Irish Ferries employees by writing to the Irish government, Irish Ferries management and the Irish Tourist Board to express outrage.

The Irish workers are being exploited and the eastern European workers are being exploited using terms like “downsizing,” “rightsizing” and “outsourcing.” Exploitation is exploitation and the Irish should not stand for it!

Linda McComas, Tramore, Co. Waterford, Ireland

Stop Shannon Now

I totally agree with letter writer Dessie Ellis and his letter “Stop Shannon Use” (November 30-December 6) that the military use of Shannon Airport must stop.

I would add these points. It’s obvious the Irish government fears economic intimidation and interference with traditional routes of immigration. This may be wise, but when thousands are dying is it moral?

It’s also obvious that the U.S. government and the British government need Shannon Airport so they can hide the fact that this war for democracy in the Middle East has popular support nowhere. Planes landing in England would draw protests, and President Bush and Prime Minister Blair can’t have that.

What’s happening at Shannon is that two Republics are bring betrayed, as one acts as an empire and the other as a vassal state. What’s more, the soul of Ireland is being sold by this unholy deal.

If on judgment day Jesus Christ is to ask Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern about the 33 CIA planes that have passed through Shannon since the Iraq war began, how will he answer? How will Ireland answer?

Robert A. Schauder, Flushing, New York

Bring Back the Saints

Kudos to John Spain on his article “Excess Ireland” in last week’s issue of the Irish Voice.

It seems that hypocrisy, phoniness and hedonism rule the day of these present day Irish pretenders, known as the Nouveaux Riche. Reading Spain’s piece left a bad taste in my mouth, especially knowing where they came from.

I am sure there will be all kinds of psychological analysis proffered to explain this sudden transformation. To me a simple adage will suffice — give a beggar a horse and he will ride him to death.

Tiger, Tiger burning bright was all we heard about. Regretfully, just like the behaviour Spain exposes, there was no balance in the reporting.

Thomas Cahill, the famous historian, wrote a book called How the Irish Saved Civilization in the dark ages through her monks and scholars.

What will a future Thomas Cahill write about these present day Irish pretenders? The copycats of the Dutch and other assortments of decadence.

Academic success is still high on the list in Ireland. Sadly, though, what Ireland needs now is saints, not scholars. There will be no joy in Tigerville if it sinks to a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah.

John Rogers, Voorhees, New Jersey