Cover story “He hit me across the palm of my two when the Welfare – the forerunner to Sohands with a cane. I didn’t cry and he cial Services – decided to give me a bicycle said, ‘Oh we’ve got a hard man here.’ He to get to my job as a painter. proceeded to hit me across the back of my “On this occasion Mrs O’Neill asked me hands. The very first crack took my nail off was I originally from Fintona and told me and I fell to the ground in agony.” about two little girls who walked past her Patrick was one of the first group of 16 house and who were also from Fintona. boys who entered Rubane House in 1951. “About half an hour later they came They were nearly all orphans and he repast and I spoke to them. They were my members how the abuse began within days sisters, and I told them I was their brother. of the home opening. We were delighted and I hoped to see them A later incident of bestiality left Patoften after that. rick paralysed with fear at what he wit“But the next evening there was a green nessed. car sitting outside the house. Mrs O’Neill “I was sent to a classroom to light a fire. told me that the man in the car wanted to A Brother was there and I was so frightened talk to me. As soon as I got into the car he by what I saw that I can hardly describe hit me across the face and told me never to it. It was bestiality and I was so frightened speak to the girls again. that he’d seen me I couldn’t “This brought all the abuse talk for two days. back to me again because I was “A Brother also kicked this 16 and thought that I’d put it little boy like a football across behind me. He said that they’d the floor. The boy was very had a complaint from the peoWe’d like to know what small and weak and began ple who the girls were staying you think about this to cry. If that was done to an with. – or any other story in animal today, a person would “A few days later the man ColdType. be done for cruelty.” I was working for at the time Send an email to Such was the level of fear made a point of only giving editor@coldtype.net that Patrick decided to run me a ten shilling note for my away several times. On one pay. He treated me like dirt in occasion he was discovered the next mornfront of the other workers. That week I’d ing and brought to the police station where been beaten and now I was being humilithe Brothers were contacted. ated. So, I decided that this would never His return to the home was marked by happen again and resolved to leave.” more beatings and sexual abuse. Even the That evening Patrick returned to his slightest mishap was punished in the most home town of Fintona, sold his bicycle extreme manner. and used the money to travel to Birming“When I was brought back after attemptham. He arrived in England “with only the ing to escape, they straight away stripped clothes on my back” and got help from the me naked and put me in a cold shower. A Salvation Army. Brother started to beat me with a whip. I A new life beckoned for Patrick far away went to bed and I still remember hoping from the horrors of his youth. CT that I would die. For days after that I wasn’t able to walk. Alan Rodgers is an author of four books “We got out on our 16th birthday and I and a journalist at the Ulster Herald in was sent to stay with a woman called Mrs Omagh, Northern Ireland, where this series O’Neill in Omagh. was originally published The newspaper’s “I’d been in the town about four weeks web site is - http://ulsterherald.com
“I was sent to a classroom to light a fire. A Brother was there and I was so frightened by what I saw that I can hardly describe it. It was bestiality and I was so frightened that he’d seen me I couldn’t talk for two days”
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March 2014 | ColdType 21