Chapter 2 — Upton

Neglect and emotional abuse

A witness described how, when his mother died when he was eight years old, which resulted in him being sent to an industrial school, it effectively broke the bonds between him and his siblings: As I say, having lived in a family environment, however limited that may have been it was still a family, you still had your siblings and you had a parent and to be taken from that environment and placed in a place where you suddenly were no longer human, you were treated as a number and any chance of having any love, affection...

When he was discharged from Upton, he was sent to the home of a neighbour who had previously looked after him. This arrangement was not successful, as the father of the house abused him, and he eventually ran away to sea at the age of 14. The whole experience was extremely unhappy, and he believes the neighbouring family should have been properly vetted.

One witness described how, during his time in Upton, his father consistently applied to have him discharged. His family made him aware of this fact, but he was never told of it by the authorities in Upton. He did go home on holidays and his parents also visited him. They used to send him money and parcels from home.

Witnesses remembered being allowed home for two weeks in the summer. For about a month beforehand, the regime was relaxed a little bit and the boys were reminded not to speak about Upton at home. The boys were also allowed to write a letter home once a month, and this letter was written for the boys on the blackboard and they were checked before they were posted.

1.At times during the relevant period, food, clothing and accommodation in Upton fell below acceptable standards, for which lack of resources was not an excuse. 2.Boys went hungry and, given the size of the farm at Upton, there was no reason for it. 3.The food that was provided to the boys was poor in quality. The Brothers and priests who lived in Upton received far better food than the children. 4.Bedwetting was a persistent problem, and children were punished, humiliated and segregated in a futile attempt to deal with it. 5.The regime of punishment and fear interfered with children’s ability to learn in the classroom. 6.Removing children to this distant Institution caused emotional harm, because it cut them off from their families and social networks.

General conclusions on Upton and Ferryhouse are at paragraph 3.454 of the following Chapter on Ferryhouse. 1 Quoted in Bríd Fahey Bates, The Institute of Charity: Rosminians. Their Irish Story 1860–2003 (Dublin: Ashfield Publishing Press, 2003), p 74. 2 This is a pseudonym. 3 This is a pseudonym. 4 This is a pseudonym. 5 1933 Rules and Regulations for the Certified Industrial Schools in Saorstát Éireann, Rule 12. 6 This is a pseudonym. 7 This is a pseudonym. 8 This is a pseudonym. 9 This is a pseudonym. 10 This is a pseudonym. 11 This is a pseudonym. 12 This is a pseudonym. 13 This is a pseudonym. 14 This is a pseudonym. 15 This is a pseudonym. 16 This is a pseudonym. 17 This is a pseudonym. 18 This is a pseudonym. 19 This is a pseudonym. 20 This is a pseudonym. 21 This is a pseudonym. 22 This is a pseudonym. 23 This is a pseudonym. 24 This is a pseudonym. 25 This is a pseudonym. 26 This is a pseudonym. 27 This is a pseudonym. 28 Latin for curiosity, astonishment, surprise. 29 This is a pseudonym. 30 This is a pseudonym. 31 This is a pseudonym. 32 This is a pseudonym. 33 This is a pseudonym. 34 This is a pseudonym. 35 This is a pseudonym. 36 This is a pseudonym. 37 This is a pseudonym. 38 This is a pseudonym. 39 Latin for in a class of its own. 40 This is a pseudonym. 41 Latin for with a boy. 42 Latin for with boys. 43 Latin for As spoken. 44 This is a pseudonym. 45 Latin for curiosity, astonishment, surprise. 46 Latin for without delay. 47 This is a pseudonym. 48 This is a pseudonym. 49 Latin for due caution. 50 This is a pseudonym. 51 This is a pseudonym. 52 This is a pseudonym. 53 This is a pseudonym. 54 Dr Anna McCabe was the Department of Education Inspector for most of the relevant period. 55 Records exist for only 19 of the 23 years. 56 This is a pseudonym.