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Mary Raftery Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Mary Raftery's articles are set to be re-published online

The journalist’s documentaries ‘States of Fear’ and ‘Cardinal Sins’ highlighted child abuse in schools and the Catholic Church.

A SERIES OF Mary Raftery’s articles are set to be re-published online.

Starting this week, Raftery’s Irish Times column will be published on MaryRafteryFund.ie.

The journalist wrote a weekly column for the Times from 2003-2009, focusing on a wide range of items including child abuse, human rights, women’s rights and mental health.

She contributed articles to the paper until her death in 2012.

Prior to this, Raftery worked with RTÉ.

She is perhaps best known for producing States of Fear and Cardinal Secrets.

The former, which aired in April and May 1999, detailed the abuse suffered by children in reformatory and industrial schools between the 1930s and 1970s.

In 2002, Cardinal Secrets exposed cover-ups of clerical child abuse in Dublin.

Her work was instrumental in bringing about the State investigations into child abuse in institutions and the Catholic Church.

In September 2012, the Mary Raftery Journalism Fund was established in her memory.

The mission of the Fund is to promote good practice in investigative journalism and help fund high quality reporting that serves the public interest.

Speaking ahead of the republication of her columns, Kevin O’Sullivan, editor of the Irish Times, said: “We are pleased to collaborate with the Mary Raftery Journalism Fund in bringing Mary’s columns to life again. While some of the context and rationale for her columns have changed, their sentiment still remains relevant to contemporary times.”

Read: Tributes flood in for ‘inspirational’ journalist Mary Raftery

Column: ‘For abuse victims like me, Mary helped expose the truth’

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10 Comments
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    Mute P. V. Aglue
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 11:20 AM

    Were the people of culture fighting at the boxing championship in castlerea amongst themselves again

    233
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    Mute Wombleman
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 11:30 AM

    @Dan Breen: You spelled ‘white’ wrong.

    Mawdsley is an Anglo-Norman name originating from Lancashire.

    Hard for intellectual pigmies to grasp but ‘Irishness’ extends a lot further than where you were born.

    By your reckoning, am I to take it that you begrudge Phil Lynott & Paul McGrath? I’m sure you were more than happy to cheer them on when swilling your pints and wearing the green jersey.

    What about Shane McGowan – you know that lad who was born in England and sang a load of songs about how poorly immigrants were treated abroad, how they turned to drink and drugs and sleeping rough on the Streets because society saw them as second class. I bet you’re happy to idolise the Pogues as being ‘true irishness’ whilst carrying on with the kind of actions that they would have disowned you for.

    Are you actually capable of any spec of rational, critical, independent thinking at all or has your bitterness with your life and your fear of insignificance left you that open to being manipulated into blindly following whatever it is your online puppeteers are feeding you.

    Read. Learn. Grow up.

    167
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    Mute Richard Toomey
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 11:39 AM

    @Wombleman: he’s not worth a response!

    54
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    Mute James Rowan
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 1:17 PM

    @Richard Toomey: I reported him so hopefully a good hefty ban is coming his way. I see the comment was taken down.

    20
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    Mute Ken Mc Carthy
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 11:02 AM

    Overall, a frustrating & disappointing evening on the track. Can’t begrudge the Austrian lady winning her appeal & ‘taking’ Sharlene’s place….frustrating but it is what it is. Its best to get any hiccups/ kinks sorted now before Olympics in Paris. Really think this is going to be a great year for Ireland in France– we have some brilliant athletes competing & best of luck to them.

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    Mute John K
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 10:59 AM

    Tough decision especially as she probably had the pace to finish ahead even without stepping across. Looking at it without bias it was probably the correct decision.

    53
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    Mute Ken Mc Carthy
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 11:05 AM

    @John K: 100% John, disappointing as it is the correct ‘call’ was made, Sharlene definitely faster than the Austrian lady but ‘c’est la vie’

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    Mute P. V. Aglue
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 4:29 PM

    @John K: she’d have kept her place if it was horse racing

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    Mute Brian O'Connor
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 10:59 AM

    Omg wow. Puts things into perspective! Innocent families children been murdered in Israel’s conflict. Shame on Israel, Jesus weeps . I am not anti semitic, I am calling it out as it is . Murder and modern day ethnic cleansing. U think Jewish would learn from Hitler,l!. Families fearful for their lives worrying what’s going to happen. Shame on Israel, a country I admired, now putting ur historic moment against innocent people. Israel stop please. How about love and peace. War is not what Jesus wanted … not this. Imagine what would happen if everyone just say, SORRY. Let’s move on together ,

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    Mute Alan Kennedy
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 1:05 PM

    @Brian O’Connor: Who’s jesus?

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    Mute Mike
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 2:04 PM

    @Alan Kennedy: Google it.

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    Mute Sal Paradise
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 3:22 PM

    @Alan Kennedy: Plays for Arsenal. Having a decent season this year.

    20
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    Mute Alan Kennedy
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    Mar 3rd 2024, 1:54 AM

    @Sal Paradise: Ah yes, that lad! Not as good as Mohammed!

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    Mute Brian O'Connor
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 11:08 AM

    Palestine now formally recognised in my Heart and forgiveness to Israel as always in my heart too ❤️ PEACE TOGETHER

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    Mute sean whelan
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 1:37 PM

    @Brian O’Connor: forgiveness to Israel?
    That’s nice of you, but I wouldn’t think the Palestinian people feel the same way after watching there children blown to pieces,
    whatever happened to ‘never again’?
    It’s absolutely disgusting what’s going on over there!

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    Mute Barry Baz
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    Mar 2nd 2024, 4:51 PM

    That ***ing ridiculous

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