The chapter may have ended for some! But it hasn't ended for all!

Before the age of ten, I was explained what had happened to my nan, Angela Collins and my mother Mary Collins. Following to that we went to Ireland to visit my nan in the mass grave she was placed in. When we arrived we was greeted by a dirty, grey, head stone, that towered over me. It read many different women's names, I read the headstone while wiping away dirt, we soon came across Angela's name which was put up along with 72 other women's names. 

We went back to Ireland as a family but this time we were on a mission, we had purchased a new head stone that read "Angela Collins, st. Vincent's, peacock lane, cork from 1961. Suffering life long separation from her children. Until her death in 1988. On the feast of St. Angela aged 57 years now at peace in her eternal home. Rip." We also placed an angel statue next to the head headstone. We cleaned up the the ordinal headstone and we said prays and paid respect to Angela. 

Angela Collins worked 27 years within a peacock lane magdalene laundry. She died in the magdalene laundries and was placed in a mass grave. Angela Collins' daughter, Mary Collins, has been fighting for her mothers justice and for her justice as she would be made to enter the laundries to visit her mother where she experienced terrible abuse at the age of 7 years. 

Mary Collins took part in a documentary regarding her mother Angela Collins and herself. The producer asked for the film of are remembrance for Angela, which he has failed to give back and didn't even use in his documentary, yet used my mums story and he published his documentary. After he got what he wanted which was the story he excluded my mum from the support group called "magdalene survivors all together" funny how the name speaks for itself. My mother suffered in and out of the magdalene laundries and within a abusive children's home within Ireland and her mum worked in a magdalene laundry for 27 years! He excluded a survivor for his own gain. Steven O riordion is not even related to the magdalene women, let alone being a survivor of it, so he stole off and excluded the women that mattered.

In 2013 an apology was issued towards the women. Steve O riordion did not want my mother at the apology, my mother couldn't get a ticket and not one of the women for "survivors together" spoke up on behalf of Mary Collins getting justice on behalf of her mum and herself, another women who was not part of that group got my mother a ticket and sat with her. 

The Irish government apologised to the living women who entered the magdalene laundries. Instead of refusing the apology and telling them it's not good enough as they didn't included the families and women that lost their life's. Although it was so close to getting a perfect outcome that didn't excluded families and the women as the government had already agreed they did wrong, all we had to do was hold out a little longer but instead of pushing it, we accepted it to avoid prolonging it any further. So that some survivors who were alive but elderly could see the apology as they may not have ever heard it due to old age in some peoples in opinion. 

Since 2013, 6 women has pasted away who was apart of the survivors together group, 1,663 people died in Magdalene laundries and are still without any form of apology today. Many family members have been left without justice. Around 250 women have accepted the offers of competition from the fund set up. Nearly €18 million has been planned to be paid out to survivors. They will also be issued with a health card, which hasn't been put in place yet, although the compensation systems have.

Steven O’Riordan, head of the group, said: “The biggest fear the women have is that most of their entitlements will be assessed. There is no guarantee they will receive extra benefits, as they will be assessed.”

The survivors together group fail to speak about the 1,663 people that died. Although they mention a memorial. The group says it is also unhappy about the delay in erecting a Magdalene memorial and museum on Dublin’s Sean McDermott Street, where the last laundry closed in 1996.

The 2013 Quirke report, which the government said it would implement, had recommended that a memorial be placed on the site.

“They seem to just want to delay everything,” Marie Slattery, a survivor of the Sean McDermott Street laundry, said. “Six women from our group have passed away… It’s upsetting.”

Let me ask, why does this matter even though dead women and families of these women haven't even received an apology!? They never speak about the dead women and families that sacrificed their apologies two years ago for them to have what they got and now actually try help fight for the dead women and families to get an apology! The only reason they use the memorial in my personal opinion is to pretend they care and to bring awareness to their health cards. If they really card about the women who lost their life's and that didn't get apologies why are they not speaking up about it and making people aware the dead women have been left without justice and also the families! So please answer my question of why a memorial matters? when those women and families haven't been given the simple justice of an apology on behalf of loosing their life and their family members losing love ones! 

They say it's upsetting! It's upsetting that two years after the apology was issued that we are still fighting for the simple apology! Which mean more than a stone at this moment of time! The apology should come first! Yet they only care about appearance, only because your putting a memorial does not make up for the hurt and pain family's and women went through and does not compensate for an apology!   

We should be fighting for an apology on behalf of those that lost their life's and suffered, not talking about medical cards or memorials when some women haven't even received an apology. It's have been two years since the apology and the families and women that lost their life's are still be ignored and still being forgotten and it's not just by the government! 

A memorial should not be put up until all is resolved and all people involved has been given justice! Once the chapter ends! That is when it should be placed! It may have ended for you! But the fight continues for many! So It is not over! 

Angela Collins and her family's fight for justice.

Angela Collins was an Irish born traveller, she originated from county mayo, Ireland. She was in partnership with Patrick ward from tuam, Galway, Ireland. 

Angela Collins mothered three daughters named Angela Collins, Mary Collins and Teresa Collins. All three of Angela Collins children was stolen from her, along with thousands of other women in Ireland that had their children taken unlawfully. 

Angela Collins lived a life of running away from discrimination, hate and prejudices. She was a women that had three children out of marriage. In the 1960s within Ireland, the Irish government was intensely influenced by the Catholic Church. Meaning a women that wished to live their life's differently to how the state and church viewed a women should live and behave in the 1960s within Ireland was punished on behalf on their "sins". 

Women like Angela Collins was forced to enter the Magdalene laundries/Magdalene asylums to work unpaid. Some women who entered the laundries were sent by family members that felt pressured from society's prejudices, so they handed their girls to the nuns to "purifier" the girls. Some girls were women who had children out of wedlock or women that didn't follow the standards society set for women in those days. The women were branded as "fallen women" because in the church's eyes they had lost their innocence. Some women stayed as little as a year, while others stayed their whole life's. 

Angela Collins worked 27 years in peacock lane, cork, magdalene laundry. She died aged 57 within the walls of the magdalene laundries. She was buried in a mass grave in cork with 72 other women and she still currently lays in the grave where her murders placed her. 

Before Angela Collins entered the magdalene laundries, she was forced into a mother and baby home. She fled with her daughter Mary Collins at night in the pouring rain. She escaped but would soon be back in the clutches of the church. 

Angela Collins, Angela Collins', eldest daughter was forced into the magdalene laundries, aged 14, Angela Collins sadly committed suicide on Christmas Day. 

Mary Collins, Angela's second eldest daughter was made to enter an abusive industrial school aged 2 which was only a stones throw away from where her mother was placed. 

Teresa Collins was put up for adoption after years of Angela not signing the papers to give daughter up for adoption. Angela was given a choice by the nuns, she could ether signed the papers and she would get to see her second eldest daughter Mary Collins or she got nothing. Angela signed the papers knowing she would never get to see any of her girls again if she didn't. 

Mary Collins would enter the magdalene laundries at the age of 7 years to see her mother. Mary Collins received terrible abuse while in the laundries and out of the laundries by the same originations that run peacock lane, magdalene laundry. They are named, The sisters of charity, The good Shepard's and The sister of mercy, who were all in connection with each other. 

Mary Collins left the industrial school after finding a job. She soon after she fled to England in fear of being sent the magdalene laundries. 

In 2003 Angela's Collins' daughter Mary Collins and her children Craig Collins and Laura Collins and Anthony Collins held a ceremony on behalf of Angela Collins in St. finbars cemetery, county, cork. They cleaned the original head stone that read 72 other women's names and laid a new head stone on behalf of Mary Collins' mother Angela Collins. 

In 2013 Mary Collins and her daughter Laura Collins went to Ireland in attempt to get justice for Angela Collins. They broke into an elderly persons care home, where the nuns stay fully paid by the church. They found a women that Mary Collins remembered as a child and the nun also remembered Mary from when she use to attend the laundries to see her mother as a child. The nun admitted "wrongs had happened". Mary explained she wants her mother exhumed from the mass grave. The nun said she will get in contact with her further regarding it, nothing happened. Mary Collins was ignored even after writing many letters regarding removing her mother from the mass grave to bring her back to her home to rest in county mayo. 

In 2013, the Irish government provided an apology on behalf of the living women that entered the magdalene laundries. Mary Collins travelled to the dail, where she was refused entry. She had to contact Christine Buckley from the aisling centre, Dublin. Christine granted her entrance in and she sat with her waiting for the news like all the other women did. Although Mary Collins was not going to receive an apology on behalf of her mother Angela Collins. Instead she was excluded from the governments apology like she was nearly excluded from entering.

On the 19th February 2013, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny issued an apology to the living women but they excluded the women that had their life's taken. Enda Kenny stated "their cases died with them". Not even the families of the women that have suffered losses and pain received an apology. Mary Collins left the dail without an apology, while everyone celebrated getting justice. 

In 2014, Mary Collins took part in a book regarding her mothers story called, stolen lives, by Bette Browne in attempt to bring awareness to Angela Collins case. 

In 2015, The Justice 4 All Magdalene women was launched the founders of the group was Mary Collins and Laura Collins. Justice 4 All Magdalene Women is a group that was open on behalf of getting justice for all the magdalene women involved and that includes the families. Justice 4 all magdalene women has outreached to the prime mister of Ireland and the government body, yet justice for Angela Collins and the dead women and families have still not been given to those that deserve it. 

Remembrance to Christine Buckley: May her beautiful soul Rip. 

Twitter: @justice4allMags

Facebook: Justice 4 All Magdalene Women.

Angela Collins, peacock lane, cork, magdalene laundry. 

Mary Collins in an indrustal school, cork. 

Mary Collins, Craig Collins, Laura Collins and Anthony Collins, at St. Finbars cementary, Ireland, cork. 

Stolen lives, by bette Browne featuring some of Angela Collins and Mary Collins' story.