I stood with the crowd of over 5000 this week outside Leinster House and witnessed a very dignified but emotional ceremony commemorating the victims of institutional abuse.

The people gathered were victims and members of the public united to remember the thousands of children who passed through 216 institutions. All those institutions responsible for the physical, emotional and sexual abuse of the children were read out by representatives of the survivors. They were read out to a silent audience and the familiar names carried clearly through the still summer air. Names such as Upton School for Boys, Lota, Deerpark and others were particularly chilling to hear for those of us from Cork.

There were many people crying. Victims cried for the hurt, anger and broken lives they have endured as a result of this abuse. They were supported by their children and or partners who must also live with the hurt. Members of the public cried with shame, disgust and anger; myself included; as we asked how could this happen?

What kind of society allowed such abuse to be inflicted on innocent children and never raised a hand to stop it. The answers to some of these questions are in the Ryan Report.

At the end of the ceremony many people in the crowd lifted a child’s shoe and again stood in silence the sea of baby bootees, little pink sandals or small brown lace-ups helped conjure up an image of how vulnerable the young victims were. Victims that the State left down in a big way.

They will never fully recover but the fact that finally they are being listened to, finally they are believed and finally the word sorry is used seemed to be a help.

The Dail discussed a motion on the Ryan Report this week.

One important sentence was included in that Motion “Dail Eireann restates the sincere apology of the house to the victims of childhood abuse for the failure to intervene, to detect their pain and come to their rescue.”

We must all bear some responsibility for the failures of the State in this painful story.

The challenge is to implement the recommendations of the Ryan report and ensure that the victims can live out the remainder of their lives with some peace of mind.

The Minister for Children will be submitting a plan for their implementation by the end of July and that is awaited with interest.