Two survivors of Ireland's Magdalene laundries have shared harrowing accounts of their experiences. Marina Gambold was taken to a laundry at age 16 by a priest, while Maureen Sullivan, now 60, was sent to one in New Ross, County Wexford, at the age of 12. A report revealed that about 10,000 women passed through the laundries in the Irish Republic between 1922 and 1996.
Marina Gambold, orphaned at eight, recalled being forced to work from 8am to 6pm, given only bread and dripping for breakfast. She described being punished for breaking a cup: a nun tied a thick string around her neck for three days, forcing her to eat off the floor and beg forgiveness. On another occasion, she was locked out on a glass balcony overnight with two other girls, nearly dying from the cold.
Ms Gambold spent about three years in the laundries before leaving Ireland at 19. She suffered a nervous breakdown and lived in England for nearly 30 years. 'Most of the time I have cried bitter tears, especially when I had nobody, pain never goes away,' she said.
Maureen Sullivan's mother remarried after her father died, and Maureen claimed she was abused by her stepfather. Nuns convinced her mother she would attend a 'lovely school,' but instead she was forced to work day and night, given a new name, Frances. 'Everything was taken from me; my name, my rights as a child to go out and play with other children, my rights to communicate with other people,' she said.
Ms Sullivan's day began at 6am and ended at 9pm, involving scrubbing floors, laundry work, and making rosary beads. She spent two years in New Ross, then further periods in Athy, County Kildare, and Dublin. She had virtually no contact with her mother, just four visits in five years. At 16, her mother asked if she should be paid, and the next day she was left at Heuston station with £5.
