Rathdrum Grove dedicated to victims of abuse

The first of four woodland groves dedicated to the victims of institutional abuse was official opened near Rathdrum last Sunday by government Chief Whip Seamus Brennan, chairman of the National Millennium Committee. The grove is located at Ballygannon woods, the site of one of the two millennium forests located in the Garden county. Other groves, one in each province, will be located in Tipperary, Mayo and Monaghan.

"This Millennium Grove is devoted to all victims of institutional abuse who have suffered immeasurably", said Junior Minister Brennan. "May the future ensure that those most vulnerable wil never again endure such pain and deprivation".

Minister Brennan also praised those who refused to stay silent and who exposed institutional abuse. "This ocasion is an opportunity to salute the bravery of individual victims who were determined to tell their stories and seek justice and, in doing so, shone a light intot he dark corners of our past and present", he said.