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The Case of Majella Moynihan

  • 17-06-2019 9:24am
    #1
    Cabaal
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,510 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    In 1985, an unnamed female Garda was threatened with dismissal from An Garda Síochana for giving birth to a baby outside of wedlock. What led to those dismissal charges utterly changed her life. Majella Moynihan has remained silent - until now (2019)

    https://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/

    Podcast - https://www.rte.ie/radio1/podcast/podcast_documentaryonone.xml

    Yet another story from the dark days of Catholic Ireland, the treatment Majella experienced was due to decades of ingrained catholic teachings of how unmarried pregnant women were shameful and dirty.
    An interesting but blood boiling documentary on the experiences of Majella both before and after she joined the Gardai.

    The ONLY reason why Majella was not sacked from the Gardai is because the Bishop intervened and stopped them from firing her. The Bishop only stopped her from being fired because he didn't want Gardai going to England for abortions in future. So instead she remained in the Gardai and was treated like ****e.


Comments

  • #2
    Cabaal
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,510 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    Further breaking news about this awful situation

    https://twitter.com/JohnBurkeRTE/status/1140243741569093633

    and
    “The treatment of Majella Moynihan was clearly wrong on every level.” - Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan

    “On behalf of An Garda Síochána, I fully apologise to former Garda Majella Moynihan for the manner in which she was treated and the subsequent lifelong impact this had on her.” - Garda Commissioner Drew Harris

    But they can't even do an apology right...
    “I was happy with the apology, but I feel that the apology should have come to me first, a personal apology. I’ve heard from nobody.I strongly believe and I strongly feel that both of those people should have come to me first.” - Majella Moynihan

    and even more depressing reading

    https://www.broadsheet.ie/2019/06/17/i-remember-just-falling-to-the-ground/

    In addition to the articles above, on page 13 in The Irish Times, on February 6, 1985, Mary Maher wrote a background piece on Majella’s story which was headlined: “Did baby bring discredit on the Force?”.

    In the piece, Ms Maher reported:

    “There have, in fact, been several unmarried ban-ghardai who have become pregnant while members of the force in recent years.

    “Some of them at least appear to have been dealt with in a very humane fashion whether or not disciplinary proceedings were involved.

    “One woman was transferred following the birth of her baby to a location near her home, where arrangements were made to care for the baby while she continued working.

    “In another case, a pregnant ban-gharda was instructed by her superior to marry the father of her child, but succeeded in resisting the instruction and retained her post.

    “In another case, however, a recruit who was accepted on the force after the initial medical examination, was found to be pregnant when she was called up several months later. She was dismissed.”

    This shows just show backwards they all were back then, words fail me
    "We certainly would not encourage our female members to think that this is a normal condition for them to get into, out of wedlock. We would expect our ban ghardai to be moral in every way and we would not think that their morals are always or nessassarily their own private business"

    Mr Jack Marrinan
    General Secretary Of The Gardai Representative Association
    February 1985


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