Investigating the Magdalene asylums

In 2009, I traveled to Ireland to visit my Aunt Mary, on my annual summer trip. On my first day, I met Maria Sweeney a Magdalene survivor. Upon researching the local Magdalene asylum, Maria invited me to the 'Magdalene survivor group' I decided to investigate the Magdalene asylums as a dissertation project, and interviewed the ten survivors in the group. Following the interviews, I discovered the harrowing experiences of the girls, including being abandoned by thier families, being physically and mentally tortured in the asylums, completing twelve-hour shifts in the laundry rooms, and their desperate fight for freedom. Whilst completing the interviews, I experienced a summer where I reached a crossroads. whilst finding love, and experiencing tragedy, but a mysterious twist of fate changed my life forever.Read more