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O'Malley, Kathleen, 1942-

Childhood interrupted / Kathleen O'Malley. - London : Virago Press, 2005. - 244 pages ; 24 cm

"A Virago original"--Page 4 of cover

In 1950, Kathleen O'Malley and her two sisters were legally abducted from their mother and placed in an industrial school ran by the Sisters of Mercy order of nuns. The rape of eight-year-old Kathleen by a neighbour had triggered their removal - the Irish authorities ruling that her mother must have been negligent. They were only allowed a strictly supervised visit once a year, until they were permitted to leave the harsh and cruel regime of the institution at the age of sixteen. But Kate survived her traumatic childhood and escaped her past by leaving for England and then Australia when the British government offered a scheme to encourage settlement there. Fleeing her past again, Kate worked as a governess in Paris and then returned to England where she trained as a beautician at Elizabeth Arden. She married and had a son. A turning point in Kate's life came when she applied to become a magistrate and realised that she had to confront her hidden personal history and make it public.

ISBN: 1844081176 9781844081172 1844081184 9781844081189

LCCN: 2006386383

Nat. Bib. No.: GBA540274 bnb

Nat. Bib. Agency Control No.: 013195343 Uk

Subjects--Personal Names:
O'Malley, Kathleen, 1942-

Subjects--Corporate Names:
Sisters of Mercy.

Subjects--Topical Terms:
Nuns--Ireland --20th century.
Abused children--Ireland --Biography.
Children--Institutional care --Ireland.
Child abuse.
Foster children.
Children--Institutional care.

Subjects--Geographic Terms:
Ireland.

Index Terms--Genre/Form:
Personal narratives.
Biography.
Autobiography

LC Class. No.: BX4705. O4882 / A3 2005 HV758 / .D86 2005

Dewey Class. No.: 920 O'MA B