The brutality and horror of the Magdalene Laundries is being highlighted by RTE over the next two weeks.
‘Ireland's Dirty Laundry’ is a two-part documentary which explores the stories of women and children affected by the institutions.
The first part aired on Wednesday evening, and was a graphic account of the suffering that thousands upon thousands of Irish women underwent at the hands of the laundries
The brave women that featured explained how even though they managed to survive the laundries, they are still haunted by their time in the "institutions".
Survivor Maureen Sullivan explained: "You couldn't talk about it because the threat was there. That if you say anything, you won't go to your granny's. And that was the only bit of love that we ever got. And It was just horrific. And you were afraid to talk about it."
There is also a constant battle for redress.
Around 12,000 girls and women lived and worked in the laundries from 1922 until 1996 when the last one, in Dublin’s Seán McDermott Street, closed.
Viewers were left saddened by the reminder of the torment the women went through.
"The abuse those women endured was heartbreaking." tweeted one watcher.
A second added: "The hurt and pain that they’ve had to carry with them their whole lives, it’s absolutely disgusting"
While a third wrote: "You can see the torment in their eyes. My heart is broke for them"
- The second part of Ireland's Dirty Laundry airs next Wednesday at 9pm. You can catch the first episode on the RTÉ Player.
