An orphanage survivor has penned a poignant letter to the people of Galway to thank them for their kindness and support while they were growing up.
The anonymous survivor, who grew up in St. Anne’s Orphanage at Lenaboy Castle in Taylors Hill, sent the letter to the Survivors Integrated Service at the London Irish Centre to commend the kindness of the people of Galway.
"Christmas is approaching fast and it’s that time of year, that brings me right back to my childhood growing up in St Anne’s Orphanage, Lenaboy, Taylors Hill, Galway in the 1950s/1960s. I am not sure if the people of Galway realize without their kindness, Christmas would not have been so magical for us children in the Institution," the anonymous survivor wrote.
"I use the word magical with great care, as I am only too aware there is nothing magical about growing up in an institution, quite the opposite as a matter of fact.
"So much has been written and well documented, about the horrors that were afflicted on the children in the Institutions in Ireland, by people who were entrusted to look after us, I won’t dwell on that now, or paint a rosy picture either.
"It is only fair I should bring to your attention, the wonderful organizations and the extraordinary people, who gave up their time so we in the Orphanage could experience the magic of Christmas."
The letter stated that the people of Galway should be "proud" of the difference they made, stating that their kindness "brought light and happiness" to their childhood.
"This is a thank you letter to the Businesspeople of Galway, The Chamber of Commerce, The Galway God-Parents Association, The Wheelchair Association, The Students at UCG, Maddens Nurseries, The Local Cinemas, The Odeon Café, Woolworths, and lots more," the letter stated, also thanking the individual families who helped every Christmas.
"The Survivors of St Anne’s owe you all a huge debt of gratitude, I want to put on record the immense difference, your act of kindness made to my life, your loving care and support made me as a child feel loved, and I believed the people outside our big grey walls were watching out for us."
In particular, the letter paid tribute to the Galway God-Parents Association, a local organization that would take children out of the orphanage for a day, a weekend, or a week's holiday and treat them like a family member.
"That was the first time, any of us children experienced family life, we were very shy and frightened at first, and scared of the family’s pet cat/dog. When we got back to St Anne’s, we would re-in-act the family scene we had witnessed in the God-Parents homes, and play for hours calling each other Mammy and Daddy.
"This introduction to family life has shaped my life and helped me cope with the outside world. The Godparents stood by us all year round."
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The survivor also recalled how a group of volunteers would arrive at the orphanage on Christmas Day to take children to the Odeon Café in Galway for their Christmas dinner.
"Best of all was the Christmas dinner, served up to us as if we were royalty, we ate everything that was put before us It tasted heavenly, Bing Crosby was always singing in the background.
"It still amazes us me how the people of Galway gave up their time on Christmas Day, so we could have a magical Christmas.
"All these wonderful people of Galway have given me such happy Christmas memories, I will never forget your kindness."
The letter paid special tribute to the survivor's "fairy Godmother" Mrs. Doyle, describing her as "pure joy".
"I think of Mrs Doyle every time we as survivors get together and go out for a meal, be it in the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, England, Scotland, London and Ireland, we always chat about our memories of our lovely Christmas dinner in the Odeon Café.
"Survivors of the institutions deal with child abuse in our own way, some of us are still hurting and can never forgive or forget, on the other hand, some of us have buried the miseries at the back of our minds, and determent it won’t destroy us, we have moved on from those awful places. But as it’s the season of goodwill, I thought it would be a fitting tribute to say Thank You, as let’s say a belated Christmas present to you all."
H/T: Advertiser.ie
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