Chapter 2 — Methodology

Compilation of evidence

Readers will note that some coincidences of numbers occur throughout the Report. Where the same number appears in different contexts it should be noted that they have been checked by the Committee and are correct.

In the interest of clarity, Industrial and Reformatory Schools, religious Brothers and Sisters and Children’s Homes are referred to by upper case designations to distinguish them from primary and second-level schools, children’s family homes and sibling brothers and sisters.

For the purpose of compiling this volume of the Report persons referred to by the witnesses as being in charge in management positions are described as authority figures and may include Resident Managers, Reverend Mothers, Brother Superiors and school Principals.

Use of quotations

Most chapters in this Report quote extensively from witnesses’ direct evidence to the Committee. The purpose of the use of quotations is to provide a representative account of the witnesses’ experiences in their own words, including colloquialisms and informal terminology, for example, many witnesses referred to Industrial Schools as orphanages.

The italicised words used in the quotations are the actual words used by the witnesses at their hearing. All names and identifying details are deleted to preserve anonymity and are substituted by ellipses, a set of three dots, and anonymous references, for example X or Y. Further, for the purposes of clarification explanatory comments are included in brackets in some quotations. The choice of quotations intends to represent the range of experiences described, including those concerning family circumstances and subsequent effects on adult life.

In order to preserve confidentiality, no person or place can be identified in this Report or elsewhere. 24 The source of each quotation used is anonymised and, where necessary and appropriate, the Committee has made use of neutral characters and words, for example: X, Y and Z or ‘named city’.

Documentation

Witnesses were invited to bring supporting documentation to their hearing, if they wished, and a number brought copies of documents relating to their admission that they had acquired under the Freedom of Information Acts, 1997 and 2003, and other searches. Included among the documents provided by witnesses to the Commissioners were: Admission records Documents from institutional centres Medical records Birth certificates Letters from the Department of Education and Science25 Court orders Correspondence between their families, the institutions and relevant authorities Letters from the gardaí and others seeking payments from parents General correspondence Newspaper cuttings relating to their admission Personal photographs from their time in the institution.

Emergency counselling and medical services

Some witnesses reported that they found attending their hearing with the Committee a daunting prospect. The National Counselling Service (NCS) in Ireland provided for a counsellor to be available on call during the time all hearings were scheduled. The Witness Support Officers liaised with the NCS and the health service at a local medical clinic in anticipation of the possible need for emergency assistance arising from the hearing. Counselling services were available through the Immigrant Counselling and Psychotherapy (ICAP) service in the UK to facilitate witnesses resident in the UK. Witnesses who had not previously availed of a counselling service were provided with the necessary information regarding either their local NCS office or ICAP, if they so requested.

Returning to hear evidence

For a period of three months after the Committee concluded its hearings, witnesses were able, if they so wished, to listen back to their evidence that had been audio-recorded by the Committee. The listening did not constitute a hearing and witnesses could not alter, add in, or take away any written record of their evidence. The opportunity to listen to the recording of their hearing was offered for the potential beneficial effect it would provide.26 Seventy four (74) witnesses returned to listen to some or all of their recorded evidence.

Reasons given for attending the Confidential Committee

The witnesses reported different reasons for applying to be heard by the Committee, which are categorised in Table 3 below. The most frequently cited reasons were a wish to have the abuse they experienced officially recorded and a desire to tell their story. The protection of children and the prevention of future abuse were other reasons frequently given for providing evidence. Witnesses stated their hope that, by reporting their own experiences and having them placed on public record the need for greater vigilance and protection for children in out-of-home care would be recognised in future.

Reasons for giving evidence	Males	%	Females	%	Total witnesses	%
To record abuse	174	29	114	23	288	26
To tell their story	84	14	88	18	172	16
Prevent abuse in the future	111	19	97	19	208	19
Therapeutic benefit	98	17	85	17	183	17
Encouraged by others	61	10	67	13	128	12
Sense of obligation	23	4	11	2	34	3
Other reasons	31	5	31	6	62	6
Not stated	10	2	5	1	15	1
Total	592	100	498	(100)*	1,090	100

One hundred and twenty eight (128) witnesses reported being encouraged by a range of people, including family members, other survivors, counsellors and solicitors to apply to the Committee. They expressed the hope that attending the Committee would help them put painful memories of the past behind them and achieve ‘closure’. A small number of witnesses reported that they had been encouraged to attend by former staff of the institutions.

Witnesses also reported that there were positive aspects to their treatment in institutions that they wished to have acknowledged.

Those who reported attending the Committee out of a sense of obligation often commented that they came forward to support others, especially in relation to institutions where they believed abuse was less often acknowledged.

Sixty two (62) witnesses gave other reasons for attending, including some who hoped to gain a better understanding of their admission to an institution and many who, in addition to recounting the history of their own abuse, also came to speak for siblings and co-residents who had died in tragic circumstances.

The following quotations illustrate the reasons stated by witnesses for giving evidence to the Committee: I think I wanted someone to listen to me, nobody ever listened to us, nobody ever asked us how we were feeling. When our mother died we were never spoken to, we cried for a reason, nobody ever asked why, nobody ever said “if you have a problem come to me”. We did not know how to post a letter or buy a loaf of bread ...(after discharge)... I wanted to be heard really. • They all said “that couldn’t have happened” but they can’t say that to 5000 of us when we all have a similar story to tell. • For all the children who died in care and cannot speak for themselves. Listening to fellows being flogged ... I just wanted to forget them but I couldn’t forget them ... fellows were being told not to tell their parents. I’m not interested in any compensation but there should be some official record of what happened. The most important thing is that disabled children would be educated without abuse being done to them. • Lots of others would love to come to tell their story but they can’t because their lives are destroyed with drink and drugs and everything. My story is their story too. • I know many of the others are not around to tell. To protect kids, give a double look at the guy you think is such a great guy, who offers to do things with kids, who is supposed to be a lover of kids or whatever, where you think he seems to be a sports man ... look again, because, once a kid is sent down the wrong way it seems to live with them for ever. There is a ... wall of silence that no one knows unless you are within the School. You need to bring things in to protect the kids. • I blame the Government, they gave the religious orders the power, they should have come and checked you, if it was monitored they wouldn’t have the power to do what they did.... Is anyone ever going to listen? I had to prove myself, everyone is entitled to have their say and now ... after today ... I will just burn it ...(supporting documents)... in front of me, I’ll finish it. • I knew 7 people who in a space of 6 months after leaving ...named School... committed suicide. ... I know an awful lot of people who just cannot come forward to this day, an awful lot are dead. • I wanted to see if there is something good that can come from it, that what happened will be made public in print. When I started there was nothing about money, nothing at all about money, it’s not money. All I want is justice. ... What could you do with money? • I am here today because I am not a number, I am a human being. • Why ...(come forward)...? How come I am feeling this 50 or 60 years on? How come someone didn’t come and ... do something about it, say “are you alright?” I grew up so emotionally bruised and battered, psychologically I couldn’t do anything. I wanted someone to tell me why it happened. From 0 till 18 I was a figure under section something ...(Children Act, 1908).... Initially I wanted to confront somebody from that bloody School and say “why did you do that to me?” • So that there will be a report which will advise social workers to monitor children in care more closely. • To record abuse, perhaps it will go some way towards stopping the belief that children won’t remember. • I want people to know it was not safe for children in those Schools.... It was a School from hell, they were dangerous people. I will never forgive them, there were people in charge they done nothing about it, you were under lock and key, you got the life kicked out of you and no one does anything about it. • It’s a must ... you were allotted to listen to me, it’s going to close a chapter in my life and I’m happy to release it all. • No one was prepared to stand-up, the government allowed the religious institutions to care for children, it was out of their hands. The religious just did not know how to cope, they had no background whatsoever in childcare. • We have been quiet long enough. • It’s a report for social workers, to monitor more carefully, there should have been monitoring. If there had been more outsiders coming into the School, you know you would have got to know them. Letting the children know that they have someone to talk to, if they have a problem and ... someone you could trust outside, they would have to be outside, a separate thing from the School. If I had someone to talk to, separate, that I could trust ... it would have helped me. It has been a great help to talk about it. • I feel that nobody listened to us as children, and thank God someone is listening to us now.