A SIMILAR regime of harsh conditions operated across all boys schools.Clothes given to new boys were often made of rough tweed, and winter coats and wet weather clothing were rarely reported.
Personal hygiene was treated in a regimented manner, with little or no toiletries provided for communal showers before 1970.
Silence was often enforced in the dormitories, during mealtimes and while working.
Work was a central feature of daily life, both indoor and outdoor, including weaving, carpentry, farm work, field and bog work.
Long hours were worked in all conditions.
Boys often worked in "shops" in trades like tailoring and shoemaking, which predominantly met institutions’ needs: "In the shoe shop you started off as a polisher, you polished the boots for everyone ... then there was the ‘generals’ who made the shoes, and then there was the head shoe boy."
Other boys worked in kitchens washing, peeling and carrying heavy pots, but these places were often the domain of one dominant Brother, who could be harsh and abusive.
Paid work was not introduced until the 1970s and 1980s, including in the local creamery, factory or hotel.
Food was often inadequate and fruit was a treat, with boys getting an orange at Christmas: "We were constantly hungry and we robbed each others’ food, you just grabbed. Youngsters who were weak suffered."
Prior to the 1970s, the main recreation was Gaelic sports, with outside competitions providing protection and relief from physical abuse.
Gymnastics and drill movements were carried out in school yards, and were traumatic for many due to the harsh nature of some "drill masters".
Classroom education for many boys in schools prior to and up to the 1960s finished at the age of 14.
Very few children received certificates like the Leaving Certificate.
"Education was not important. You were moved from class to class; the main aim was to get you working at 14."
Classrooms were dominated by fear as boys lived in perpetual fear of being abused.
The practice of religion brought comfort to some and hurt to others. The treatment of health needs was also inconsistent across schools, with only some having on-site infirmaries.
Inspections of schools often just concentrated on the physical surroundings in schools: "We always knew when inspectors were coming, as white quilts and pillows were put on beds. The inspectors walked around with the Brothers, they didn’t speak to the boys."
Many witnesses in the report said they felt abandoned when discharged from schools. Often boys had no experience of living in the outside world, had lost family contact and had been in institutions for between six and 18 years.
Children were often given new clothes prior to discharge, referred to as "the liberty suit": "They [Brothers] more or less told you before you left... that if you talked about any of the crap that was going on there... I would be brought back for another two years."
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