Comments on: An Irish Gulag. http://www.philmacgiollabhain.com/an-irish-gulag/ Campaigning Journalist | Literary Dissident Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:39:04 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: pauline http://www.philmacgiollabhain.com/an-irish-gulag/#comment-2194 pauline Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:41:08 +0000 http://www.philmacgiollabhain.com/?p=126#comment-2194 Hello Phil Thank you for your brilliant article, great analysis and great sense of humour. better to laugh than to cry... Hello Phil
Thank you for your brilliant article, great analysis and great sense of humour. better to laugh than to cry…

]]> By: Damo Lennon http://www.philmacgiollabhain.com/an-irish-gulag/#comment-2186 Damo Lennon Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:39:42 +0000 http://www.philmacgiollabhain.com/?p=126#comment-2186 They say nothing can match the hatred for the Catholic Church of a lapsed Catholic. Maybe I'm being presumptuous in thinking you are a lapsed Catholic Phil, but if you are, that is borne out totally by this article. Hysterical doesn't even begin to cover it. Some perspective would be nice. They say nothing can match the hatred for the Catholic Church of a lapsed Catholic. Maybe I’m being presumptuous in thinking you are a lapsed Catholic Phil, but if you are, that is borne out totally by this article.

Hysterical doesn’t even begin to cover it. Some perspective would be nice.

]]> By: Frank http://www.philmacgiollabhain.com/an-irish-gulag/#comment-2158 Frank Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:35:18 +0000 http://www.philmacgiollabhain.com/?p=126#comment-2158 Phil In parts this is a good article; the systematic abuse of children by the Catholic Church is abhorrent and should never have been tolerated by the Irish Government. Nor should any decent Catholic allowed it to be covered up. The suffering of these victims I cannot (and do not want to) imagine. However, to then insult the Catholic religion in the way you do is small minded, childish and unworthy of your usual journalistic skills. Your articles are usually particularly good because you get straight to the point in a very objective and informed manner; you have failed to do that here. As a practising Catholic, I personally find your atack on my religion insulting. To ridicule people's faith is uncalled for. I realise that religion is not for every one but to ridicule me (who you have never met) for my faith in Jesus is not acceptable for an "independant" journalist. I will fully support your crusade against the abusers of the Catholic Church but would ask you to show respect to those Catholics who have never been involed in these odious acts or their cover up! Phil

In parts this is a good article; the systematic abuse of children by the Catholic Church is abhorrent and should never have been tolerated by the Irish Government. Nor should any decent Catholic allowed it to be covered up. The suffering of these victims I cannot (and do not want to) imagine.

However, to then insult the Catholic religion in the way you do is small minded, childish and unworthy of your usual journalistic skills. Your articles are usually particularly good because you get straight to the point in a very objective and informed manner; you have failed to do that here.

As a practising Catholic, I personally find your atack on my religion insulting. To ridicule people’s faith is uncalled for. I realise that religion is not for every one but to ridicule me (who you have never met) for my faith in Jesus is not acceptable for an “independant” journalist. I will fully support your crusade against the abusers of the Catholic Church but would ask you to show respect to those Catholics who have never been involed in these odious acts or their cover up!

]]> By: admin http://www.philmacgiollabhain.com/an-irish-gulag/#comment-1012 admin Thu, 21 May 2009 16:11:40 +0000 http://www.philmacgiollabhain.com/?p=126#comment-1012 Louise Ad hominem attacks usually attract a red card on this site. Please take this posting as a mere yellow. Another such offering from you and you'll have to find another place for your opinions. You dont know me and therefore can have little idea of my personal history. For example I was 25 when I received my first degree. At no point in the blog did I state that every child under the care of the catholic church in Ireland was "abused and violated". However 35,000 were. the Catholic church in Ireland has largely escaped without sanction. You are correct to detect my pleasure in the "demise2 (your term) of an organisation that has ruined so many and had yet to be brought to book. In writing my book "Preventable Death" I travelled the length and breadth of the island including the North where you are. It was a travelogue of respectable towns and well kept townlands. Once more your gibe that I dont really know Ireland simply doesnt wash. Thanks for visiting the site and taking time to put your ideas down. Remember you can make a strong polemical point without attacking the other person. Phil Louise
Ad hominem attacks usually attract a red card on this site.
Please take this posting as a mere yellow.
Another such offering from you and you’ll have to find another place for your opinions.

You dont know me and therefore can have little idea of my personal history.
For example I was 25 when I received my first degree.
At no point in the blog did I state that every child under the care of the catholic church in Ireland was “abused and violated”.
However 35,000 were.
the Catholic church in Ireland has largely escaped without sanction.
You are correct to detect my pleasure in the “demise2 (your term) of an organisation that has ruined so many and had yet to be brought to book.
In writing my book “Preventable Death” I travelled the length and breadth of the island including the North where you are.
It was a travelogue of respectable towns and well kept townlands.
Once more your gibe that I dont really know Ireland simply doesnt wash.
Thanks for visiting the site and taking time to put your ideas down.
Remember you can make a strong polemical point without attacking the other person.
Phil

]]> By: Louise http://www.philmacgiollabhain.com/an-irish-gulag/#comment-1011 Louise Thu, 21 May 2009 15:42:44 +0000 http://www.philmacgiollabhain.com/?p=126#comment-1011 Not everyone was "violated by priests and nuns" I myself enjoyed a full and extremely fruitful education at the hands of the Presentation Sisters. My brother was educated by Priests and claims it was them who gave him the education that has him where he is today. I am aware we were the lucky ones, as was all the other children our respective educational establishments. This is difficult to communicate to someone who has limited experience of my country. Someone who by admission and choice delights upon living on the fringes of "respectable" society. Being a social worker in inner city Dublin hardly brought you into contact with hard working, decent, respectable Catholic families. To claim "This is especially true of people who think they know, who think they are in touch with the modern Irish zeitgeist" don't you think this statement applies to those who spent a few childhood summers in Mayo??? There are good and bad everywhere...even in journalism. I remain a fully active member of the Catholic community, your obvious glee at their demise is sad to read. "CEO wears a funny hat" thats insulting and childish. Oh and I realise my response may be typecast as some aul wan! I am not 60 years old - I am a 34yr old professional female who is repelled by the decades of clerical abuse and the subsequent cover-ups. But claiming all priests are paedophiles and all nuns are abusers is the easy way out. Defending the innocent ones who did care and did educate and nuture is the hard path. I still attend Mass - not every week - I do actually get something out of it, mostly a sense of community, of belonging and occasionally a sense of inner calm and peace. Have you ever thought that if your mother had have agreed to send you to the boarding school you may have gotten your degree in your twenties, like the rest of us? I reckon this will never be posted but..... Am tittering away to myself and just have to ask....If you don't like the Catholic society in Ireland...why don't you go home??!! lol Not everyone was “violated by priests and nuns” I myself enjoyed a full and extremely fruitful education at the hands of the Presentation Sisters.
My brother was educated by Priests and claims it was them who gave him the education that has him where he is today.
I am aware we were the lucky ones, as was all the other children our respective educational establishments. This is difficult to communicate to someone who has limited experience of my country. Someone who by admission and choice delights upon living on the fringes of “respectable” society. Being a social worker in inner city Dublin hardly brought you into contact with hard working, decent, respectable Catholic families.
To claim “This is especially true of people who think they know, who think they are in touch with the modern Irish zeitgeist” don’t you think this statement applies to those who spent a few childhood summers in Mayo???
There are good and bad everywhere…even in journalism.
I remain a fully active member of the Catholic community, your obvious glee at their demise is sad to read.
“CEO wears a funny hat” thats insulting and childish.
Oh and I realise my response may be typecast as some aul wan! I am not 60 years old – I am a 34yr old professional female who is repelled by the decades of clerical abuse and the subsequent cover-ups. But claiming all priests are paedophiles and all nuns are abusers is the easy way out. Defending the innocent ones who did care and did educate and nuture is the hard path.
I still attend Mass – not every week – I do actually get something out of it, mostly a sense of community, of belonging and occasionally a sense of inner calm and peace.
Have you ever thought that if your mother had have agreed to send you to the boarding school you may have gotten your degree in your twenties, like the rest of us?

I reckon this will never be posted but….. Am tittering away to myself and just have to ask….If you don’t like the Catholic society in Ireland…why don’t you go home??!!
lol

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