Suffer the Little Children: The Inside Story of Ireland's Industrial Schools

by Mary Raftery, Eoin O'Sullivan

In the first half of the 20th century, the Department of Education in Ireland set up a system of institutional detention for thousands of the children of Ireland's poor, operated by the Catholic Church, that was to last up until the 1960s. Raftery (producer and director of the documentary on the same topic called States of Fear ) and O'Sullivan (social policy, Trinity College, Dublin) delve into the history of these "industrial schools," detailing the material deprivation, sexual and physical abuse, and neglect that the children suffered. Basing the material on both Department of Education documents and the personal recollections of people that were detained under the system, they look at the origins of the system and its eventual demise. Also explored are the efforts of the victims to gain some compensation for the experiences they suffered. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Education

424 pages, Hardcover

First published December 11, 1999

Reviews

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a shocking account of child abuse and neglect in Irish industrial schools. I was not previously aware of how industrial schools worked until this book. My heart went out to the victims of abuse and lack of opportunities given to learn. They were living in fear and were not provided with proper clothing or food. I think it should make people aware how fortunate we are to not have grown up like that.

[Bryan Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an astounding book and it should be required reading for the general population, or for those further afield. The utter depravity and torture that took place in the industrial and reformatory schools in Ireland for 150 or so years is almost beyond belief. The book is a bit dated at this stage seeing as it was published in 2001, but consider it a prelude to the publishing of the Ryan Report in 2009. The commission which ended up publishing the Ryan Report had been set up 2 years prior to the publication of the book, hence not much could be mentioned about it, other than the fact that the authors hoped that it would bring some justice to those who suffered for decades.

[Germanio Puglio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this explains why so many parents are cruel and hate their kids and don't really seem to care. The society of Ireland actually stole the children of poor people to get state money for them. Rich kids didn't seem to get taken. They called themselves christians but they were the most social rank obsessed people IN THE WORLD, and yes, I mean those nice nuns and priests. If someone lost their job, their kids were taken. Kids raised in schools by these monsters become so mean themselves.

[Margaret Madden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Caoilo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately as a lot of the info in this was older than the majority of my research I DNFed it.

[madsenmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply excellent book, the one that started my interest in the Irish Industrial Schools. Happened across it by chance in Limerick while on vacation. Filled with research, personal accounts, and background; I couldn't put it down.