11 episodes
The Magdalenes and I Steven O'Riordan
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- True Crime
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4.8 • 53 Ratings
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On a calm, clear Tuesday night in February 2013, a long line of Irish women in their 60s, 70s and 80s stood side by side on the plinth outside Government buildings in Ireland. These women were survivors of the notorious Magdalene Laundries. On behalf of the State and its people, the leader of their country had apologised for all they had endured.
In the midst of that group of women stood a young man in his 20s named Steven O’Riordan. Steven isn’t the son of a Magdalene survivor. He isn’t a human rights activist. He is the ‘accidental’ campaigner who fought to have these women and their stories recognised.
The Magdalenes and I is the extraordinary story of how one young man met with and campaigned for 100s of Magdalene survivors. It reveals in shocking detail the trauma the women suffered with exclusive never heard before interviews given by survivors and their family members. It pieces together the highs and lows of what it was like for Steven and the women he met to expose the truth, fight for justice and triumph against all the odds.
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Steven: In His Own Words
It’s 2006, and Steven has graduated from Bath Spa University UK. Inspired by Peter Mullen’s film The Magdalene Sisters, Steven is fascinated by the story of the Magdalene Laundries. However, one quick Google search by Steven changes everything.
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The Bodies
Dublin, 1993. As day breaks word begins to spread that 155 Magdalene women are to be exhumed from a Dublin Magdalene Laundry run by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. The scandal brings shame on the Religious Order but the headlines soon disappear and so do the women’s stories. One Magdalene woman is reclaimed by her family. This is their story.
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Helping Maureen
It’s Friday night and Steven is watching the Late Late Show when a surprise phone call lifts him from his seat. It’s Maureen Sullivan a survivor from the Good Shepherd Magdalene Laundry in New Ross, Co. Wexford. Maureen wants justice for what she suffered and Steven promises to do what he can to help her. Their friendship and Maureen’s story ignites a passion and a determination by Steven to expose the truth by making his first feature-length documentary.
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Mary and the Movies
It’s the summer of 2007 and Steven meets with Mary Norris, an outspoken Magdalene survivor who opens his eyes to the horror of the asylums. Could someone really end up in a Magdalene Laundry just because they went to the movies without permission?
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Empty Buildings Full of Memories
Impacted by Mary Norris’s story, Steven visits the Good Shepherd Magdalene Laundry in Sunday’s Well Cork. An unexpected accident reveals much deeper wounds about the Laundry's past. As a result Steven writes to the four Religious Orders who ran the Magdalene Laundries throughout Ireland asking if he could meet with any survivors who were left behind.
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An Orphan in Dublin
After reaching out to the London Irish Centre in the UK Steven speaks with survivor Mary King who was abandoned on the street in Dublin and put into a home in County Westmeath by the courts. Mary talks about the devastation she suffered while in the institutions and the pain of losing and rediscovering her family.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Customer Reviews
Superb
This is a fantastic podcast, giving voice to women who were denied & gaslit over their search for justice. Can’t wait hear the next episode. So professionally documented & considerate of how these wonderful women were treated.
Very Good!
Our history which should be documented. Interesting but each episode should be longer 🙏🏻
A must-listen for all.
Steven tells the story with the respect it deserves while highlighting the atrocities that occurred. Excellent humanitarian journalism.