Our story will go down in history

THE memorial to survivors of historical institutional abuse unveiled at Stormont will act as an immortal tribute to the stories of those housed in church ran institutions. 

 This is the opinion of Good Shepard Convent Survivor Mary Nolan who attended the unveiling of a plaque installed  to commemorate  the legacy of people such as herself who were housed in  church ran facilities.

 Mrs Nolan attended the event alongside a plethora of other survivors where they were treated with an audience with none other than Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little Pengelly as well as speaker of the assembly Edwin Poots.

Whilst Mary, who spent a year housed at the Good Shepard Convent when she was just 15, is appreciative of the plaque which will be seen by all who enter parliament buildings, she still would like for an apology for what she and her fellow survivors went through to be issued by the Good Shepard Order itself.

Immortal Memorial    

“ I accept the monument and we received an apology from the MLA'S. Edwin Poots was speaking along with Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little Pengelly. Poots said in a statement that it should not have happened and we should try to prevent it from happening to our children of the future.    

 “He did a big speech about this. He mentioned the people who already died and suffered because of the institutional abuse and things like this. 

“We had the opportunity to look at the plaque afterwards. By the end of the day it was out on the wall at the end of the hall. The plaque has been placed on the right hand side of walking into Stormont, walking in it is the first thing that anyone will see. On their way out it is the last thing that anyone will see it is this plaque.  

“The apology meant something but not as much as it would coming from the actual institutions themselves. If the Good Shepard Convent could give an apology maybe this would be the start of recovery.

“The real apology should be coming from the actual institutions themselves. However you do feel that you accept it, you are being believed and it actually did happen, that these things were happening behind doors and you were treated that way.

“Most people accept the apology for the recognition of it because now it has been brought out front and their is a big plaque their in memory of everyone. It will go down in history for time to come.”