Echoes from the Dormitories ₂₀₂₅

Writer Susan Connolly has recently published an autobiography reflecting her childhood experiences of coercive confinement in Goldenbridge Industrial School. The artwork illustrating this panel is also hers.

Susan Connolly describes her committal as a child to Goldenbridge  Industrial School as follows in her forthcoming play:

'It looked like a mansion from the outset; that’s how I described it when trying to avoid the awkward questions, but it was actually a prison.'

'Bring Them In', manuscript draft, courtesy of the author.

Sketch of Goldenbridge Industrial School, courtesy of Susan Connolly.

While writing about her time in Goldenbridge, Susan made a series of eyewitness sketches that depict her time there:

Images courtesy of Susan Connolly.

In this extract from her published autobiography Echoes from the Dormitories, Susan recounts her arrival at Goldenbridge with her two brothers, David and Michael.

Image courtesy of Susan Connolly.

The image of the stairwell shows children sliding down the bannister at night to steal food from the pantry as well as the laypeople’s fridge.

I stole a tomato once. That particular memory stands out vividly, both for its desperation and the small thrill of rebellion it carried.

Susan Connolly

In this interview, Susan tells the story of how she came to write a play about her eleven years' confinement in Goldenbridge.

It is our story.
We existed.
We must never be forgotten.

Susan Connolly

States of Fear 1999

Producer Mary Raftery faced significant opposition when creating the three-part documentary series that provoked a state apology to survivors of industrial schools. States of Fear researcher Sheila Ahern explains further.

The Asylum Workshop 2023

Playwright Colin Murphy was commissioned to write a play about Ireland’s largest psychiatric institution, St Brendan’s Hospital, Grangegorman. It was then staged on the grounds where the asylum once stood.

Echoes from the Dormitories 2025

While writing about her time in Goldenbridge, Susan made a series of eyewitness sketches that depict her time there:

States of Fear 1999

The Asylum Workshop 2023

Echoes from the Dormitories ₂₀₂₅