Rememberence

Anyone looking at news from Ireland over the past few weeks will have seen the release of a major report into the abuse of children in various institutions and schools in Ireland from about the 1930’s to the 1980’s. During that time children were put into “care” as they were deemed to be in danger. The danger varied from the parents’ poverty, having an unmarried /widowed parent or living in an “immoral” home. Some children were sent to industrial schools for stealing or missing school. Violence and brutality were common tools used to control the inmates. Shocking in itself this was not the worse aspect of the treatment dished out in these, for all practical purposes, prisons. Sexual abuse and rape also became part of daily life for many children. Boys who were removed from society for fear of their moral lives were instead forced to suffer the worse evil that men in long black gowns had the capacity to imagine. Instead of being made to face this evil most of these people were moved on and the events hushed up. It was easier for those in authority to ignore it than admit to the atrocities that were being committed.
Some of these men were members of the Christian Brothers. One in particular became more infamous than most. He was asked to leave the Brothers when he first started abusing young boys. He moved from one school to another across Ireland. Each time he would start abusing a child, he would be moved on and given an excellent reference. As soon as a parent complained about his inappropriate behaviour, he moved on. When I started secondary school, he was teaching there. He had been there for a few years. I was lucky because he was only there for my first year. I remember him as a violent man who lost his temper and hit out with his fist for little or no reason. At a time when few parents had cars, he was always available to give lifts for after school activities like GAA, drama, debates etc. He was well dressed, well groomed and “smelled” clean. A lot of kids going to school would not have a very high standard of hygiene and so his clean smell was noticeable. He left after my first year. We did not know why but were more than happy that this tyrant was gone. I recently discovered that he left due to a parent complaining about his behaviour towards a child. I also discovered that he got a glowing reference from the school head. His violent and bullying behaviour was not lost on some of the older boys in the school. They copied his example and practiced it on the younger boys. Over the years it got less endemic but it left scars that for some would never heal.
All nations have something in their history that is shameful. Perhaps this is ours. What can be learned? Maybe it is that when something is wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the duty to do so. Everyone, teachers, religious, police, judiciary, politicians and even organisations whose role was to protect children, played a part in this. Healing can only begin when all accept their role and ask forgiveness.