The Waterford Magdalene Laundry was initially established in 1842 by Rev Timothy Dowley. The Good Shepherd Sisters’ involvement in the institution began in 1858, and the campus expanded between 1892 and 1894 to include the Magdalene Laundry, the women’s living quarters, a convent and an industrial school. The laundry remained in operation until 1982. (Source: McAleese Report)
A group of academics at Waterford Institute of Technology have established an oral history project on the Waterford laundry. Those interested in being interviewed should visit the project’s website here or contact Dr. Jennifer O’Mahony at jomahoney@wit.ie or 051 302251.
To date, JFMR has recorded the names of 105 women and girls who died at the Good Shepherd laundry in Waterford. These women are buried in two locations: at Ballygunner Cemetery and in a cemetery adjacent to the former Good Shepherd campus in Waterford.
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