A documentary about the abuse women experienced in Magdalene laundries shown at the Galway Film Fleadh.
'The Forgotten Maggies' documentary premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh. It follows the lives of women after they left the Magdalene Laundries and tried to obtain redress for the abuse they suffered.
Mary King, Maureen Sullivan and Kathleen Legg are strangers connected by their shared abuse as young girls at Magdalene laundries in Wexford, Longford and Dublin. They attended a screening of the documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh.
Maureen Sullivan struggled for years to have her story heard. The film provided her with an opportunity to have her say.
Why didn't I get my education? Why was I sent to New Ross? Why was I put down there working in that laundry?
Since the film was made, Maureen Sullivan has received an acknowledgement from the Redress Board that she was telling the truth about what happened to her.
Speaking after the screening, Mary King still has many unasnwered questions about how she and her mother were treated by the authorities.
The authorities never looked after my mother and when I was locked up in there, I had no name. I was number 26.
The filmmakers of 'The Forgotten Maggies' want these women to be acknowledged in the same way as the victims of abuse in industrial schools. Director Steven O'Riordan wants to the film to encourage the public to focus on the injustices experienced by these women. He calls for the state to come forward to apologise to the Magdalene women.
There are still thousands of women out there that haven't been heard and haven't been recognised.
'The Forgotten Maggies' will be screened throughout the country at venues over the coming weeks.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 8 July 2009. The reporter is Teresa Mannion.
