It took almost eight weeks of a hunger strike outside the Dáil for survivors of industrial and reformatory schools to be listened to, and for their grievances to be addressed. The Government said it would provide financial assistance, priority access for social housing and a range of healthcare supports to survivors of residential abuse in industrial schools. For the Ryan Report in 2009 had already set out vivid and deeply disturbing accounts of the incidence of historical abuse of children. All of this happened in Irish residential institutions – particularly industrial schools and reformatories, run by religious orders – as spelled out by Martin. But it is also deeply troubling that it took the selfless heroism of survivors to force the State to treat it as such.

Source: Irish Independent February 26, 2026 09:54 UTC