In Reply to: Re: Physical abuse in Castlebar posted by Jackson on June 09, 2009 at 21:40:51:

a cara.....at onset this topic was introduced very rightly as ...."emotive".....it certainly aroused many passions.....and perhaps many more wgo neither have computers or are ostriches....have not vented their feelings.....indeed ireland in the late '30s....40's....50's was indeed primitive...dickensian......but this does not excuse the barbarism that went unchecked in these schools under the banner....signum fidei.....mrs. mcdonagh who taught infants was indeed a great user of the rod.....the only other lay teacher in the school in my day was john hoban.....my teachers were bro.raphael....he taught me for half year...a beast....bro abban.....a tyrant and brute....he taught me from first class to primary cert......
so i call a spade a spade...i dont bury what went on and pretend it didnt happen....it did ....whether you wear a black suit with a white collar masquarading as holier than thou....does not make it with me....anyone who went through st. patricks in those days..experienced the brutality....bro. leo was mentioned .....and if its the bro leo who taught english in st.geralds i can tell you he was no gentleman or saint.....he may have said many rosaries but he was barbaric and punitive.....ireland in those days had a grave social prejudice....and perhaps still does... way back then.....certain upper classes looked on those others as if they were lepers....l'amour de la justice n'est....en la la plupart des hommes que la craite de souffir l'injustice.....
bravo to all that vented their real school experiences....shame on those that tried to paint those in other colours....they were black.....gray.....with no light visible....founded on fear..by peter tyrell is good reading for any one with doubts of schooling in ireland ..the hidden history of childhood with christian brothers ...a tragic indictment of church and state.....tghe catholic religion based on fear and myth is the mai cause of the high degree o mental illness .......hence the stampede to emigrate....frank mccourt gives a vivid account in his books on life in ireland in the '40s
sean o casey wrote a wonderful piece on that period .......he said ireland was standing on its knees now as the young fled ......the old munster and leinster cattle boats ....the b and i line were weighted down every night from the north wall with the youth of ireland....no mistake they were miserable times.....
...........anois....tog go bog e......