Do Penance or Perish: Magdalen Asylums in Ireland

by Frances Finnegan

Frances Finnegan traces the development of Ireland's Magdalen Asylums--homes that were founded in the mid-nineteenth century for the detention of prostitutes undergoing reform. The inmates of these asylums were discouraged-and many forcibly prevented-from leaving and sometimes were detained for life. Put to work without pay in adjoining laundries, these women were subject to penance, harsh discipline, enforced silence, and prayer. Their hair was cropped, and they were made to wear drab and shapeless clothing. Forbidden to mention their past lives, their children taken away, the inmates themselves were referred to as children and forced to address the nuns as "Mother." As the numbers of prostitutes began to dwindle, the church looked elsewhere for this free labor, targeting other "fallen" women such as unwed mothers and wayward or abused girls. Some were incarcerated simply for being "too beautiful," and therefore in danger of sin. Others were mentally retarded. Most of them were
brought to the asylums by their families or priests. Unbelievably, the last of these asylums was closed only in 1996. Drawing on previously unpublished material, Finnegan presents case histories of individual women and their experiences in Magdalen homes, which claimed some 30,000 women in all. She looks at the social consequences of such a system, and ponders how it was able to survive into the late twentieth century, right through the feminist campaign for women's rights. Do Penance or Perish is the first study of this shameful episode in Irish history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Feminism

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2001

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A study of the Magdalen asylums, mostly in Ireland, from the mid-1800's (though it sites earlier institutions) to the early 20th century.

This book would be perfect for essays and research papers done on the Magadalen asylums. As a recreational read, however, it's lacking. The author exhaustively sites records kept by the Homes and other institutions, creating a fairly dry reporting of the atrocities that these communities were. Thousands of women were denied their basic human rights, their freedom, by the Church and society. Absolutely shameful.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book as a first foray into the history of the Asylums. If a more scholarly book is required, you might want to check it out.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have seen Philomena or the Magdalene Girls, this book is about those places and the abuses inflicted upon the women who were sent there. It does make for rage inducing reading. The tone is somewhat dry, for it is a study more than anything else. It should be noted that this author was the one that raised the issue and inspired the Magdalene Girls movie. Today when we are still debating abortion and unwed mothers, it is a work that should be read.

[Joan Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

An academic study of the phenomena of Magdalen Asylums in the U.K. from the early 1800’s through the 1990’s. The homes were designed to rescue prostitutes and wayward girls and were run by orders of nuns. Priests were instrumental in recommending inhabitants, many of whom spent their lives laboring in the laundries which were the fiscal support of the homes. A strict regimen of silence, prayer and work was inflicted on the penitents who were discouraged from leaving. Many died young from communicable diseases such as TB. The Magdalens were exposed by TV documentaries and novels in recent years and the last was closed in 1997. The strictest flourished in Ireland though England had institutions as well, often run by protestant nuns. Finnegan provides a wealth of statistical information to substantiate her findings.

[Georgia Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw the movie "The Magdalene Diaries" which inspired me to read this. I was prepared for a lot of horrible details, but this book (written more as a report) was very straightforward and objective. Contains many tables of statistics regarding specific asylums. Purports that the majority of girls checked in and stayed until they felt like leaving which is not the impression I've gotten from other articles I've read. There are dozens of books on this subject and I will pursue those. Either way, this is a great introduction to find out what these repentance homes/laundries/work camps were all about in Ireland from the middle ages until the last one was closed in 1992.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel a bit weird about rating this, as it's an academic text rather than one meant for enjoyment. So, of course, I had to seek it out for some light entertainment!

This is a study of Catholic Good Shepherd Magdalen asylums (penitentiaries meant to house "fallen" women) in Ireland, primarily during the 1800's. It's a truly fascinating topic--and appears to be academically solid--but since the author clearly only meant to assemble a lot of hard-to-access material in one book, I think most people would be better off learning about these asylums in a more memoir-styled book (The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, for example) or through the documentary "Sex in a Cold Climate."

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago for a class, and to be honest, forgot a lot of it. So when I saw that a friend was reading it, I thought I'd give it a re-read.

This is a survey of the Magdalen Asylums, originally opened in the mid-19th century as part of a movement to remove "fallen" women from society and reform them. Originally the emphasis was on removal of prostitutes from society, both related to the Contagious Diseases Acts in England and Ireland, but later it included unmarried pregnant girls or girls whose families found them troublesome or hard to control. The women were forced to live lives according to the nuns' rules, mainly were employed in laundries and often never returned to live in outside society. Those who gave birth were forced to give up their children, having never even held them. The last Magdalen Asylum closed in 1996, which is astonishing.

This book is an academic, feminist work, but still interesting.

[reddertape · Rating 3 out of 5]

boy oh boy was this a doozie to finish.

I struggled through this book. I now understand (or assume, as it's published by the uni of oxford) that this is a more college-based text, which was the main reason I struggled with it. it threw a lot of information at you (which is fantastic) in a very very very short period of time and I found myself struggling to comprehend everything that was being handed to me.

on the positive side, it is a VERY informative book. it shows more than just the stories, the proof, and the why behind it. the names, ages, and locations of girls who got admitted to the Houses as well as when they left, or passed away.

its infuriating to see the way girls, young, old, healthy or not were treated just by the criminalization of them just being that, girls, women. the fact that "the love of dress" was reason enough in some cases, sick!

[Dianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literally, not figuratively. I could not finish this book. It is too heavy on the stats and not really any information about the actual times in the laundries.

[Barb Dudziec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Filled with shocking facts about historical figures during an extended era in time when women were treated in unimaginable ways that were legal and unbelievable.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a scholarly, somewhat dense, thoroughly mesmerizing account of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries.

[Kelly Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do Penance or Perish is a fairly comprehensive but not overly academic look at the asylums in Ireland which existed from the late 1800s into the mid 1960s and which eared a reputation for their cruelty as opposed to their spiritual foundations. The book includes an overview of the system as a whole, a closer examination of a few individual asylums and how social change and legislation - specifically a changing attitude toward sex workers and the Contagious Diseases Acts in the mid to late 1800s - shaped these asylums, the women who lived (and died) in them and how the public saw the institutions.

Frances Finnegan's review of the Asylums for 'troubled women' isn't exactly compelling reading, but it is informative. She reviews the system as it existed, its original aims and what it devolved into as time went on. It also raises interesting questions and points about the legitimate need for these homes at the time for women who had no other recourse or resources available to them - women with serious mental, emotional and physical issues that meant they couldn't find work or home elsewhere. At the same time, it highlights how easily the system was perverted in order to include women who had become pregnant out of wedlock (while their male counterparts were presumably left to carry on as if nothing happened) and local sex workers deemed in need of spiritual intervention.

Ultimately, Finnegan's book is great for those who want to learn more about the asylums and how they came to be, the work they did and their lasting affect on the population of Ireland as well as how women are seen, judged and ultimately dealt with. It is not, however, a book that offers any first hand insight into the happenings of these buildings and it doesn't do much to humanize the women who endured these asylums or the people in charge of their welfare.



23 Word Review: A well-written historical reminder that people who boast loudly about all their good works are usually the ones committing the most heinous acts.

[madsenmel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written, but sometimes gets bogged down in numbers and statistics. For those truly interested in the subject, Suffer the Little Children by Mary Raftery and Eoin O'Sullivan is closely related and a much better book.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author did a lot of research. Then she presented it in the most boring way possible.

[Kazimiera pendrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

an interesting subject but the book i found was quite boring

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a woman of Scots-Irish descent (and Roman Catholic), I found this book to be a thorough recounting of the Magdalene Laundries.
I did notice an anti-Catholic thread running throughout the book.

[Wifey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early history of the Magdalen Asylums. More academic than entertaining.