Do Penance or Perish. Magdalen Asylums in Ireland

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. 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, and many were
forcibly prevented from leaving. Unbelievably, the last of these asylums was closed
only in 1996. Drawing on hitherto unpublished material, Finnegan presents case histories
of individual women and their experiences in Magdalen homes, which claimed some
30,000 women in all. Do Penance or Perish is the first study of this shameful
episode in Irish history.