The former Magdalene Laundry at Donnybrook should be retained as a reminder of the “memory of darkness” that “destroyed so many lives” in Irish society.
That’s according to Councillor Mannix Flynn who put forward a motion at Monday’s South East Area Committee meeting asking that Dublin City Council ensure “the horrendous history” of the site isn’t “erased.”
Cllr Flynn requested that as much heritage infrastructure as possible be retained in light of planned housing development at the site.
He cited the former Magdalene Laundry site at Gloucester Diamond on Sean Mc Dermott Street, which is due to be turned into a ‘national site of conscience’ with a memorial and research centre, as an example of recognising the uncomfortable legacy of the laundries.
Cllr Flynn said it might be “even more important” to perverse the Donnybrook site “because it served the state.”
“It is of the utmost importance and a duty of obligation that the local authority preserves this history. It is at this laundry the Dublin Fire Brigade had their service materials washed and cleaned, such as ambulance blankets,” Cllr Flynn stated in his motion.
“It is equally important to note that Aras an Uachtarain used this particular form of slave labour to wash all the linen from the Aras including tablecloths and napkins associated with state dinners.”
Having first been established in Townsend Street in 1796, this Magdalene Laundry was relocated to Donnybrook in 1837 and run by the Religious Sisters of Charity before it was sold to a private company in 1992 and eventually closed in 2006.
The Justice for Magdalenes Research reveals that 314 women and girls died at the site.
Cllr Flynn noted that he personally knows many women who “suffered greatly” at the Donnybrook Magdalene Laundry and that, while he does welcome housing developments in the area, it shouldn’t come at the expense of an important part of Ireland’s social history.
“I think it’s really important in the South Area that we retain the sense of the site and we don’t lose that particular memory.”
Chairperson Cllr Dermot Lacey supported the motion and revealed that the former developer at the site had previously supported incorporating the history of the site into their plans. He noted the importance of remembering this shameful aspect of the area’s history.
“As someone who grew up one hundred yards from it, I’m always deeply ashamed of the fact that as kids we were slagging the women and it wasn’t right, but I happily met many of them over the years subsequent to that. We can agree to the principles of the motion here and do whatever we can in relation to this,” he said.