Magdalene Names Project

ABOUT THE MAGDALENE NAMES PROJECT

The Magdalene Names Project (MNP) is a JFM Research initiative which was established in 2003 in the context of the exhumations at High Park Magdalene Laundry. The MNP began as a tribute, but in the years since its formation, it has become a vehicle through which survivors, relatives and advocates can speak truth to power. The MNP uses available data such as gravestones, digitised census records, electoral records, graveyard registers, death certificates, inquest records, exhumation records and newspaper archives to ascertain the identities and whereabouts of women who died while incarcerated behind convent walls. To date, the MNP has recorded the details of approximately 1,900 women who died in Magdalene institutions across the Republic of Ireland.

MNP records encompass a wide range of sources; using comparative analyses and careful reading of these records, JFMR has compiled statistical analyses and case studies that elucidate how these women came to be incarcerated in Magdalene Laundries and what became of them in these institutions. Comparisons between the names of women appearing in the 1901 and 1911 census and the names appearing on the headstones at Magdalene grave sites reveal lengthy periods of confinement for many women, of between 11 and 74 years in the laundries. Thus far, the MNP has processed electoral registers for the Magdalene Laundries at High Park, Donnybrook (available years between 1954-1964) and Limerick (1961-1983). These analyses reveal that over half the women named in the 1954-1964 registers for High Park and Donnybrook remained in the institutions until their deaths. In the case of the Good Shepherd Magdalene Laundry in Limerick, an average of 60.4% of women named in the electoral register between 1961 and 1983 died while confined in the institution. Currently, the MNP is carrying out an in-depth examination of the remaining (available) electoral registers. This process is slow, and additional sensitivity is required as many of these women may still be alive.

The MNP also engages with local authorities, developers and others involved in demolishing and developing former Magdalene Laundry sites, to ensure that developers have due consideration for the possibility of undiscovered human remains (see this page for further information).

JFMR ETHICAL PROTOCOLS AND ACCESS TO MNP RECORDS

The majority of records accumulated by the MNP are publicly available. Nevertheless, in accordance with our ethical protocols, apart from a small number of exceptions (e.g., where there is a significant public interest), JFMR does not make these records available on our website, nor do we publish individual names or lists of names of women who were incarcerated in Magdalene Laundries. In taking this position JFMR is cognisant of the lack of transparency on the part of church and State authorities with respect to so-called ‘historical’ abuses, and we have no desire to replicate or add to this opacity. In this respect, JFMR makes a distinction between secrecy and privacy. We take the view that it would be unethical to publish the names of thousands of women online (both living and deceased) who have not consented to being identified.

In the future, when time and resources allow, we hope to make available a resource to assist family members and survivors, along with a parallel anonymised resource for activists and researchers. In the interim, we provide assistance to survivors and to relatives of the deceased in the following ways:

Relatives of Deceased Magdalene Women

Relatives of women who died in the Magdalene Laundries are welcome to contact JFMR and request information. Where documents are available in the MNP archive, they are provided, along with advice on how to obtain records from religious orders. To assist family members in determining their relative’s final resting place, the MNP maintains a record of all locations where former Magdalene women are buried (see this page). If you think your relative may be buried in a Magdalene grave in Ireland, feel free to contact us and let us know her name, age (approximate), and the laundry where the individual was incarcerated and we will be happy to assist you.

Magdalene Laundry Survivors

The MNP archive has proven to be an effective resource for survivors applying to the Irish government’s ex gratia redress scheme, particularly for women who have difficulty proving the length of time they were detained in the laundries. For example, in one instance, a survivor provided the names of nuns who were in the Magdalene Laundry while she was confined. The MNP analysed extracts from the electoral registers for that laundry and compiled the names of nuns who were in the institution during the survivor’s time there. The analysis revealed that at least two (and possibly four) of the nuns identified by the survivor were in the institution only during years when the Department of Justice claimed she was not. JFMR members made a total of 254 pages of submissions, legal analysis and exhibits in support of the survivor’s case. Ultimately, Mary O’Toole SC, who had been appointed by then Minister Charlie Flanagan to review disputed applications, recommended that the survivor’s length of stay be increased.

If you are a Magdalene survivor and you think your name was inputted on the electoral register while you were incarcerated in the laundry, you are welcome to contact us and we will be happy to look up whatever records we have.

LOCATING MAGDALENE GRAVES

We have provided locations (where known) and sample photographs of the Magdalene graves around Ireland at this page. You can also view a basic map of laundry and grave locations here.

You can read more about the MNP in the following publications:

Please note: If you are a person affected by the Magdalene Laundries and you do not have access to the book chapters referenced above, please contact us to request a copy.