On 27 April 2024, we had the honour to host Gabrielle O’Gorman at our monthly Lace Day in the Limerick Museum. Gabrielle spent two years in the Pennywell Magdalene Laundries in the 60s, and was taught to make Limerick lace. She worked on the christening robe gifted to president J.F. Kennedy on the occasion of his visit to Ireland.
Links related to the talk:
- an article dedicated to Ireland’s Dirty Laundry documentary on the History Ireland website.
- the actual documentary on YouTube (Gabrielle’s intervention starts at 13:45)
- according to the Chapter 19 of the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee to establish the facts of State involvement with the Magdalene Laundries, “Auxiliaries, referred to variously as “consecrates” or “magdalenes”, were women who, having entered a Magdalen Laundry, decided to remain there for life.”
- the O’Kennedy’s Ireland documentary.
- the page dedicated to the Limerick Laundry on the Justice for Magdalenes Research website.
Finally, a few of Gabrielle’s photos and a few photos from the event:
![](https://limericklace.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240427_121307.heic)
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![](https://limericklace.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240427_120908.heic)
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![](https://limericklace.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240427_122854.heic)
![](https://limericklace.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/20240427_122502.heic)
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