Book Features

Harrowing exposé

This book exposes the horrific abuse suffer by children placed in the care of Roman Catholic workhouses of 1960s Ireland

St. Patrick's child Prison

True story of a child prisoner of the Irish state


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Letterfrack
As an inmate of a Irish Industrial School and Irish national it gives me no pleasure to assist in recording an account of the heartbreaking suffering of those boys who, largely through no fault of their own, were sent to St Joseph’s Irish Industrial School in Letterfrack, County Galway.
The road to hell being paved with good intentions this hideous and now notorious children’s penal colony began life and for some, death, as a Quaker-inspired school in 1887.Through the passage of time it malformed into what was euphemistically called an industrial school (Scoileanna Saothair) for young boys. Today they are called Children’s Detention Schools.
Irish Industrial School
Under the Industrial Schools Act (1888) their purpose was to ‘care for neglected, orphaned and abandoned children.’ In essence they were a dumping ground for children who found themselves on the fringes of society.
“In 1964 there were three classes of boys placed in Letterfrack’s St Josephs:
• The Homeless and those guilty of criminal offences
• The destitute sent by local authorities in accordance with the Public Assistance Act
• Those voluntarily admitted by parents and guardians”
Letterfrack was mismanaged by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. In respect of those committed for criminal acts it should be remembered that these unfortunates were very young and their ‘offences’ petty in the extreme. It is a sobering thought that within our lifetime conditions at this school find their equal only in 18th Century English judicial barbarism.

The nearby Fields of Athenry are poignant enough for most people’s stomachs. For many of the unfortunate boys who endured St Joseph’s, transportation might well have been a blessing.
The ‘school’s’ notoriety was founded upon the abuse and extreme physical and mental punishments inflicted upon defenceless children by a largely psychotic mob of cassocked ecclesiastical wardens. No fewer than 147 children died whilst under their tender mercies.
“Many of these brothers should be presumed to be practitioners of the dark arts. Only the devil could have been inspired to inflict such miseries on defenceless waifs; only darkness have conspired a whole community to turn aside from the wailing of hundreds of children through those dark decades of its existence. Some of the dreadful scenes are reminiscent of the scenes depicted in medieval tapestries in which the excesses of hell are defined.
”

Testimony
This is the testimony of Frank Heeney, himself an inmate from the age of twelve to sixteen. It is also an authentication, a memorial and recognition for each of the adolescent victims of those men of the cloth and their collaborationists. His account of life in this dreadful institution will give many pauses for thought as to the iniquities of man. It immortalises the cold hearted ethos of the judiciary.
“Readers will also be inspired by the selfless acts, rebelliousness and inborn stoicism of young boys in the face of extreme hostility.”

Letterfrack
As an inmate of a Irish Industrial School and Irish national it gives me no pleasure to assist in recording an account of the heartbreaking suffering of those boys who, largely through no fault of their own, were sent to St Joseph’s Irish Industrial School in Letterfrack, County Galway.
The road to hell being paved with good intentions this hideous and now notorious children’s penal colony began life and for some, death, as a Quaker-inspired school in 1887.Through the passage of time it malformed into what was euphemistically called an industrial school (Scoileanna Saothair) for young boys. Today they are called Children’s Detention Schools.
Irish Industrial School
Under the Industrial Schools Act (1888) their purpose was to ‘care for neglected, orphaned and abandoned children.’ In essence they were a dumping ground for children who found themselves on the fringes of society.
“In 1964 there were three classes of boys placed in Letterfrack’s St Josephs:
• The Homeless and those guilty of criminal offences
• The destitute sent by local authorities in accordance with the Public Assistance Act
• Those voluntarily admitted by parents and guardians”
Letterfrack was mismanaged by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. In respect of those committed for criminal acts it should be remembered that these unfortunates were very young and their ‘offences’ petty in the extreme. It is a sobering thought that within our lifetime conditions at this school find their equal only in 18th Century English judicial barbarism.

The nearby Fields of Athenry are poignant enough for most people’s stomachs. For many of the unfortunate boys who endured St Joseph’s, transportation might well have been a blessing.
The ‘school’s’ notoriety was founded upon the abuse and extreme physical and mental punishments inflicted upon defenceless children by a largely psychotic mob of cassocked ecclesiastical wardens. No fewer than 147 children died whilst under their tender mercies.
“Many of these brothers should be presumed to be practitioners of the dark arts. Only the devil could have been inspired to inflict such miseries on defenceless waifs; only darkness have conspired a whole community to turn aside from the wailing of hundreds of children through those dark decades of its existence. Some of the dreadful scenes are reminiscent of the scenes depicted in medieval tapestries in which the excesses of hell are defined.
”

Testimony
This is the testimony of Frank Heeney, himself an inmate from the age of twelve to sixteen. It is also an authentication, a memorial and recognition for each of the adolescent victims of those men of the cloth and their collaborationists. His account of life in this dreadful institution will give many pauses for thought as to the iniquities of man. It immortalises the cold hearted ethos of the judiciary.
“Readers will also be inspired by the selfless acts, rebelliousness and inborn stoicism of young boys in the face of extreme hostility.”

Page 2

Being caught up in poverty and feeling there was no way out Frank again gets involved in petty crime and this results in him being sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in the Notorious St Patricks Prison in Dublin. A Prison for children of age 16 years. Whilst there he is again subjected to the most penal forms of cruelty and depravity by his so called protectors, being deprived of the most basic of human rights. This results in Frank having to fight for the right to be a child, but woe betide any child who does not conform to this strict and penal regime.

Historically, since 1850, St. Patrick’s Institution was the female prison adjacent to the male facility in Mountjoy Prison. It opened its doors to minors in 1956, where inmates were young boys transferred from the Borstal in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. The regime in St. Patrick’s was similar to that of an adult prison. Prison staff were not trained specifically to deal with children and the services provided were not child oriented. Therefore children spent the majority of their sentence locked in their cells with scant opportunities for healthcare, education or recreation and family visits were screened. This provision was wholly inappropriate for the care or detention of minors. The practice of detaining children in St. Patrick’s Institution did not comply with international human rights standards.
In 1985, the Whitaker Report stipulated that St. Patrick’s Institution was totally inappropriate for detaining children and that it had a “demoralising effect” on them. The report stated that the conditions of detention could lead to “the psychological deterioration of the young offenders. These conditions contravened Article 40(1) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which requires that States treat children in conflict with the law in a manner that facilitates the child’s sense of dignity and worth and reinforces the child’s respect for human rights. It proposes that a child-orientated juvenile justice system must be cognisant of the fact that, first and foremost, these young people are children.
In the two decades prior to the Whitaker Report St. Patrick’s Institution treated children a harsh response to the smallest infraction of cruel rules. Woe betide any boy who did not conform to the regime. I am one of those boys.

Being caught up in poverty and feeling there was no way out Frank again gets involved in petty crime and this results in him being sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in the Notorious St Patricks Prison in Dublin. A Prison for children of age 16 years. Whilst there he is again subjected to the most penal forms of cruelty and depravity by his so called protectors, being deprived of the most basic of human rights. This results in Frank having to fight for the right to be a child, but woe betide any child who does not conform to this strict and penal regime.

Historically, since 1850, St. Patrick’s Institution was the female prison adjacent to the male facility in Mountjoy Prison. It opened its doors to minors in 1956, where inmates were young boys transferred from the Borstal in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. The regime in St. Patrick’s was similar to that of an adult prison. Prison staff were not trained specifically to deal with children and the services provided were not child oriented. Therefore children spent the majority of their sentence locked in their cells with scant opportunities for healthcare, education or recreation and family visits were screened. This provision was wholly inappropriate for the care or detention of minors. The practice of detaining children in St. Patrick’s Institution did not comply with international human rights standards.
In 1985, the Whitaker Report stipulated that St. Patrick’s Institution was totally inappropriate for detaining children and that it had a “demoralising effect” on them. The report stated that the conditions of detention could lead to “the psychological deterioration of the young offenders. These conditions contravened Article 40(1) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which requires that States treat children in conflict with the law in a manner that facilitates the child’s sense of dignity and worth and reinforces the child’s respect for human rights. It proposes that a child-orientated juvenile justice system must be cognisant of the fact that, first and foremost, these young people are children.
In the two decades prior to the Whitaker Report St. Patrick’s Institution treated children a harsh response to the smallest infraction of cruel rules. Woe betide any boy who did not conform to the regime. I am one of those boys.

Chapter Overviews

Chapter I

Chapter I

‘Jesus!’ I thought to myself as I awoke during the dark hours of the early morning, ‘What is that sticky stuff on my leg?’ The smell in the airless room was fetid. Hardly surprising as it was home to an entire family. I was in bed with my half-brother, although I was still half asleep. I could feel something on my leg which my mind interpreted as skutry shite.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Rounding a bend I could now see a large imposing fortress-like building and thought that at last we had reached our destination. It looked like a castle but I later learned it was Kylemore Abbey, a private school for girls. A further ten minutes passed before we reached a small village crossroads and it was there that the brother swung the wheel and we turned up a small lane I could make out a large imposing buildings over on my right, we drove until we ran out of lane and then the brother pulling hard on the handbrake as we came to a stop. Welcome to St Josephs Industrial School Letterfrack. My stomach started to ache with fear.

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It was on my fifth or sixth week there when, accompanied by a solidly built guard, I found myself in the shower room on my own. Unusual, this had never happened before and I was a little taken aback. On this occasion instinct suggested I keep my underpants on. I guessed he might be pervy and wanted a peek. Besides, being on my own I felt strangely vulnerable. Busily washing my body with the bar of carbolic soap I became aware of a presence behind me. Turning, I was horrified to see the guard, the front of his uniformed trousers open, with a full erection in his hand. He was making a beeline for me. His intentions were clear. He wanted sex with me.

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Whimpering like a wounded animal, my mind reeling, I uselessly rolled about on the concrete slabbed floor and strangely enough was now aware of my wet underpants. The room was almost completely dark but my eyes had adjusted. There was a blanket on the floor where it had been tossed but no bed. Wriggling like a snake I made my way to the blanket. However, with my hands and arms securely lashed behind me there was no possibility of my wrapping the bedding around me. Instead, I derived a little comfort from sitting on it and using it as a protection from the cold bare floor. Looking around me I took in my situation.

Reader Messages

the most inspiring testimonials from our readers

Ciara McKenna

This book brings the reader on a journey with a child who succumbs to peer pressure and gets involved in a silly misdemeanor. The consequences of young Mickey Finns childish actions will change his life forever. As was custom in those times for the less well off he was sent to an industrial school where he could learn to behave in society. Here he was witness and subjected to such appalling and revulsive conditions that no child should be aware of never mind live them on a daily basis. But young Mickey Finn was a fighter and a survivor! This book is a must read. The author really captures the reader, we are brought on young Mickeys journey, step by step. When Mickey cries, we cry. When he’s angry and wants to fight, we will him to triumph. When he has to be brave so do we. One of the best true stories I’ve read to date. Here’s hoping there’s a sequel!!

Rick Lee

I have just finished reading this book and I could not put it down until I reached the last page. It is funny in places but overall it is a powerful testament to the lives of children in Irish society who where put into the care of the” UNCHRISTIAN” Christian Brothers. A must read book, and congrats to the author for sharing the horrors of his young life with us.

Marie Maher

I have recently finished reading this book and I cannot recomend it enough.I found it captivating,compelling, funny in parts and I could not put it down.Congratulations to the Author, and I’m quite sure it will be a winner. Only sad thing about it is..Its a True story..hope we don’t have to wait too long for book 2. M Maher

Nadine Starks(Lyons)

Dear Mr. Finn, Reading your book, even with the tears rolling down my face, then laughter, it really explains my Grandfather’s experience at Letterfrack too. He was there, from the age of 7 to 16. After his mother died, he was picked up for “running wild” on the streets and sent to Letterfrack, as it said on his incarceration notes. I do remember the stories he told me of the place. He never got into graphic detail, but told me of the severe cold, hunger and boys who were beaten to death and were buried in the grounds. John Lyons was sentenced to Letterfrack in 1927 and released in 1938. The conditions were cruel and the treatment barbaric. My family did petition for restitution after the Ryan Report was released and we received a small sum. John Lyons married my grandmother, Rita Reilly and raised 14 children in Shantalla, Galway. I am his second eldest grandchild. He lived to a ripe old age of 87 and is now buried in Rahoon cemetery. Your account of Letterfrack will always stay with me, knowing that is how his childhood was at the hands of the Christian Brothers. I wish I had asked him more, inquired more, realized how bad it was. But he wouldn’t go into anymore detail. I personally wrote the letter to the Ryan Commission after we investigated his stay at Letterfrack. I explained the conditions he had told me about and how his life was after. I wanted to reach out to let you know that even three generations later, Letterfrack still haunts people in Galway. Sincerely, Nadine Starks

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R.F. Heeney encountered numerous horrors during his years as a child prisoner in Ireland in the 1960s.

introducing the author of this Book

Author biography

R.F. Heeney encountered numerous horrors during his years as a child prisoner in Ireland in the 1960s. Born into poverty, he found himself caught up in a cycle of crime and punishment that took a tremendous toll of his mental and physical health. He eventually left Ireland in the early 1980s. After spending many years abroad, he moved back to Ireland. He realized that little had changed in the country. The abuse was still happening to children, and too many men were eager to cover it up instead of changing the system. Heeney became inspired to write his story as a condemnation of the government’s failure to take responsibility and a call to arms to reveal past injustices. Heeney now lives in Dublin. He has also written In My Own Words (Still Running) under the pen name Mickey Finn and is currently working on a third title.