Misery Lit

“Misery literature is huge, especially in Ireland,” agrees Kelly. “The public loves this description of a cold, miserable Ireland, where it always rains and priests are always around, abusing someone.”

But what makes the O’Beirne saga [the story of her abuse in the notorious Magdalene Laundries] so troubling, Kelly believes, is that it fuels Ireland’s obsession with clerical sex abuse, and the abuse-claim industry. O’Beirne herself accused Fr Fergal O’Connor, founder of the homeless hostel Sherrard House, of raping her in the 1970s. The investigation took a year, during which the 77-year-old University College Dublin professor was prevented from visiting his own workplace. Yet Fr O’Connor was virtually crippled by arthritis when the alleged crimes took place, unable even to shake hands because of the pain, according to a friend. The priest was exonerated two days before his death.

Mainstream Publishing, which published Don’t Ever Tell, is steadfast in its support of O’Beirne’s book. “We have made our own investigations, and are convinced this is a legitimate account of the harrowing experiences endured by a young girl whose life has been embittered by the abuse she suffered at the institution in which she was incarcerated. We have no doubt about Kathy O’Beirne’s account of these events. Mr Kelly’s version is his own and, in our opinion, does not relate to any sort of reality.”

O’Beirne’s own feelings about Kelly’s investigation became clear on Irish TV last November, when he pulled out her birth certificate and school records, showing she had lied about her age, education and alleged adoption. O’Beirne, furious, hit him. As he commented at the time: “She can beat my back, but she can’t beat my book.”

– Telegraph (U.K.)
HT: Per Christum