Since the mid 19th century, an estimated thirty thousand Irish women were subject to a life of slavery. Throughout Ireland there were many institutions where this was taking place, the Magdalene Laundries. The term Magdalene came from Mary Magdalene, a sinner who was Jesus' closest follower. These laundries would take a few hundred women a year. These women with the knowledge and approval of their families would be put into this laundry until they would grow old or die.
The Catholic Church, which at that time had political power in Ireland, felt these laundries, would serve as a "safe house for women" who were banished from society, because they had illegitimate children, were serving as prostitutes, or were otherwise considered to be sinners by the Church. They were girls considered to be a danger to society. Most of them were 18-20 when they went in and 40-50 when they left. Sent to these laundries by their families, they would be cut off from society. They would be given new names or numbers, and be told to forget about their past. The nuns felt that by keeping them in these so called "jails" they would be protecting them from the outside world. .
These Magdalenes, or "public sinners," were subject to a lifetime of penitence performing domestic chores. These were harsh, thankless chores such as laundering prison uniforms. This labor supposed to wash away their sins." They would wake up at 5:00 in the morning and go to sleep at 7:00 at night and. They were forbidden to speak, except to pray. If they broke any rule or tried to escape, the nuns beat them over the head with heavy iron keys, put them into solitary confinement or shipped them off to a mental hospital. There were walls 20 feet high with glass shards sticking out of the top to discourage escape. They were put in a jail which was supposed to "help" them. Nuns would be watching over them 24 hours a day. These women could only leave the laundry if a family member came and persuaded the nuns who watched them to take them out.
