Chapter 7 — Record of abuse (male witnesses)

Neglect

The system of heating most commonly described in Schools prior to 1970 was of a solid fuel-fired boiler that supplied hot water for washing and for radiators that were located around the School. In a number of Schools witnesses reported that prior to the 1960s there was no heating in the dormitories, which were generally described as large rooms with high ceilings, bare windows and no floor covering. Chilblains were commonplace during winter months and were reported to be a cause of constant pain and discomfort. In the earlier decades many Schools had open fires in the classrooms, which were generally described as warmer than other parts of the School.

Two hundred and seventeen (217) witnesses discharged before 1970 reported poor hygiene practices in relation to 16 Schools, and varied throughout the years reported on. Witnesses discharged before 1960 reported that bath and lavatory facilities were of a basic standard with many reports of dry toilets, no toilet paper and no facility for hand washing. We were on straw mattresses on the floor, the rats would go for you if you had any food.... They were as hungry as we were. I got bitten on the ear, another fellow got bitten on the mouth. ... There were dry toilets, the boys cleaned them out. I never did myself, I avoided it. ... The clothes were very, very rarely washed. You’d have to go for a swim to wash. • The toilet situation was abominable, there were old toilets with no doors and you could not sit down on them, nobody cleaned them. You would prefer to go out to the field if you got a chance.

Daily personal hygiene practices were not often recounted by male witnesses, but accounts were heard of queuing up for face and hand washing and teeth-brushing at communal sinks. The sharing of wet towels or sheets to dry off after a shower or bath was commented on by many witnesses. Most Schools had regular baths or communal showers, with the exception of a small number of Schools that were described as having communal baths like swimming pools. The routine for bathing varied from School to School over the decades, witness reports ranged from weekly to seldom. There was a big trough, you got into that with a togs on you to wash, that was the bath. You took off the togs then and gave it to the next guy, the water was never changed for the whole lot of the lads.

Witnesses from Schools with shower facilities reported that the water was most often scalding hot or freezing cold. Strict and severe discipline was imposed if residents attempted to avoid the discomfort of extreme water temperatures. ‘In the shower if the water was too hot or too cold and you pulled out you were hit with the leather by Br ...X.... He lined you up and leathered you naked.’

Provision for toileting at night was reported as basic in a number of Schools for witnesses discharged before the 1960s. Evidence was heard of chamber pots or buckets being shared between many residents and that emptying chamber pots was regarded as a punishment. Washing facilities were inadequate, especially in the period before 1970 and residents who wet and soiled themselves were easily identified by their odour. Witnesses reported that mattresses were not replaced and sheets and nightshirts were dried without being washed and witnesses consistently described the overwhelming odour of urine in the dormitories.

Those witnesses discharged between the 1970s and 1990 reported improved hygiene practices, with toilet blocks built in many Schools and communal showers converted into shower cubicles. However, the inadequate provision of clean, dry sheets and bedding for witnesses who wet and soiled their beds, and of appropriate washing facilities, was reported to the Committee by witnesses in relation to all decades.

Despite the inadequate provision of hygiene facilities, witnesses reported that they were expected to be clean and tidy at all times. The daily or weekly personal inspections were feared events, leading to a beating if the required standard was not met.

The neglect of education was reported by many witnesses who referred to the lack of adequate teaching and support for learning. Witnesses consistently reported that the fear of abuse, having to work for the institution and lack of attention to their learning difficulties contributed to the overall neglect of their education.

Sixty nine (69) witnesses reported being illiterate when they were discharged from the Schools and many others acknowledged that poor literacy and numeracy skills had been a serious impediment in their subsequent lives. Two hundred and sixty three (263) witnesses (64%) reported that they were discharged from the School system without sitting for their Primary Certificate.

The Committee heard evidence from witnesses that their education was neglected as a result of having to undertake work that they believed contributed to the functioning and productivity of the particular School. Fifty three (53) witnesses were taken out of class to work on farms and in trade workshops without any further education when they were 13 years old. Another 31 witnesses were removed from the classroom to work full-time between the ages of eight and 12 years old, two of these witnesses were placed working full-time before they were 10 years old. Witnesses reported working both within the School and at times being sent out to work for local farmers and others who they understood had some association with the priests and Brothers in charge of the Schools.

Witnesses also reported being deprived of education due to a lack of protection in the classroom; 79 witnesses described their time in the classroom being dominated by fear and the anticipation of being either physically or sexually abused, resulting in them being unable to learn.

Witnesses with learning difficulties and speech impediments reported being the target of sustained abuse and criticism in the classroom. ‘In school I was picked out and made stand out in front of class with a dunces cap on my head. “You’re a dunce” was wrote on my cap.’ The Committee heard 17 reports of witnesses being ridiculed and constantly punished as a result of their difficulties. He’d say, “You’re an imbecile, an idiot, that’s what you are.... What are you? What are you?” I’d have to say “I’m an imbecile, Brother” or he wouldn’t stop. ... I didn’t even know what an imbecile was.

Witnesses discharged before 1970 made 156 reports of poor bedding in relation to 16 Schools. The main neglect reports about bedding concerned the poor quality and lack of adequate blankets and clean bedding provided to the residents. In particular, witnesses who wet their beds frequently reported that their mattresses and bedclothes were neglected and constantly smelled of urine.

Witnesses from one School, where all aspects of care were reported as neglected, described the beds as ‘filthy’. Mattresses were described as rotten from urine, sheets were rarely changed, blankets were thin and lice infested and bedding was changed infrequently, in advance of inspections. Witnesses discharged from three other Schools before 1960 reported that the mattresses were lice and flea infested and that checking blankets for fleas was a regular task. Witnesses from these Schools had to make their own mattresses, filled with straw, cocoa fibre or dried husks.

Witnesses from three Schools who wet their beds reported having to sleep directly on rubber sheets. Witnesses from two Schools reported that co-residents who soiled their beds were forced to sleep on straw mattresses that were placed directly on the floor. Others described mattresses that were made of hessian sacks filled with straw. Canvas ‘stretcher beds’ were reported from another School in the 1950s and 1960s, and iron beds with metal springs in most Schools for all periods. Improvements were reported in the 1970s and 1980s.