The Magdalenes and I
The Magdalenes and I

The Magdalenes and I

Steven O'Riordan

Overview
Episodes

Details

On a calm, clear Tuesday night in February 2013, a long line of Irish women in their 60s, 70s and 80s stood side by side on the plinth outside Government buildings in Ireland. These women were survivors of the notorious Magdalene Laundries. On behalf of the State and its people, the leader of their country had apologised for all they had endured.

 

In the midst of that group of women stood a young man in his 20s named Steven O’Riordan. Steven isn’t the son of a Magdalene survivor. He isn’t a human rights activist. He is the ‘accidental’ campaigner who fought to have these women and their stories recognised.

 

The Magdalenes and I is the extraordinary story of how one young man met with and campaigned for 100s of Magdalene survivors. It reveals in shocking detail the trauma the women suffered with exclusive never heard before interviews given by survivors and their family members. It pieces together the highs and lows of what it was like for Steven and the women he met to expose the truth, fight for justice and triumph against all the odds. 



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Recent Episodes

Small Things Like These - Eileen Walsh Interview (Bonus Episode)
NOV 1, 2024
Small Things Like These - Eileen Walsh Interview (Bonus Episode)

To mark the release of Cillian Murphy's new film Small Things Like These, Steven sat down with actress Eileen Walsh to discuss her role in the movie and the working relationship she has with Cillian. Eileen's career spans over 30 years, with her breakthrough performance coming in Enda Walsh's play Disco Pigs. 


This bonus episode explores Eileen's work to date, her long-standing friendship with Cillian and why she felt compelled to take on another role that focused on the Magdalene laundry subject 22 years after she first appeared in The Magdalene Sisters. Small Things Like These is in cinemas nationwide starting Friday, November 1st.


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36 MIN
There's More To Come
OCT 28, 2024
There's More To Come

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0 MIN
The State Apology
MAY 27, 2024
The State Apology
On Tuesday, 19 February 2013, the Irish Government offered an unreserved apology to survivors of Ireland's Magdalene Laundries. Steven and the women he worked with led the charge to secure such an outcome. However, will Steven get the Stanhope Street laundry in Dublin and the Summerhill laundry in Wexford included, or will all his work for those women be in vain? This episode goes behind the scenes to reveal what it was like for Steven and the women in the weeks leading up to the state apology. It details Steven's work to have the women's stories amplified and explains how their drive to achieve their ultimate goal was realised.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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32 MIN
Meeting The President
MAY 27, 2024
Meeting The President
On 3rd July 2013, Steven and the Magdalene women were invited to Áras an Uachtaráin to meet with the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins; here, he acknowledged the work Steven and the women had done in securing a state apology. The President asks Steven to say a few words about the journey he and the women went on before he addresses Steven and the women. RTE News correspondent Joe Little caught these intimate moments on camera, and this episode gives the listener a unique insight into the women's reaction and what Steven and the President said on that day.

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5 MIN
The McAleese Report
MAY 20, 2024
The McAleese Report
On February 5, 2013, Senator Martin McAleese published his findings on State Interaction in Ireland's Magdalene Laundries. As Steven and the women prepare for the report's publication, the political reaction leaves the Magdalene survivors reeling. Steven and the women find themselves front and centre of this storm. Now, they ask themselves, was their campaign for justice all in vain, or will the women and Steven triumph against the odds? This episode includes survivor testimony from Magdalene survivor Josephine Meade, and some listeners may find that interview upsetting.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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23 MIN