Those Who Trespass Against Us
Based on the Life of Walter O'Keeffe
by
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THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US Chapter Nine GREENMOUNT–OCTOBER 22, 1940 After a long drive, the car pulled up to a cold monstrosity of a building. We were in Cork, another place I had never been. Sean was stunned as he looked out the window and into the city. It was truly an awesome sight for young eyes that had never seen the likes of a city. “Here we are boys, St. Joseph’s Industrial School for Boys. Folks just call it Greenmount.” It was huge, this place, bigger than the hospital in Dublin. I felt my guts tighten. Oh God, what will this be like? I imagined the boys inside the school playing soccer, eating marvelous food, taking interesting classes, and having a great time living here. No doubt the other kids would be happy to see three new boys arrive. I took in a deep breath then slowly released it, ready to start the rest of my life here at Greenmount. The tension in my stomach did not let up. My back and neck were sweating, my hands were shaking, and I could feel the muscles across my shoulders tense up. Sean was silent. His wide eyes, hunched shoulders and the fact that he held both thumbs in his mouth was a good indication he was also feeling uneasy. His entire body was stiff; I could see it in his face and his legs. He was stiff with fear as he looked out the window towards this enormous, dirty, gray building that would now be our home. Sean had never left Polrone. I was terrified and my head began to hurt. I hoped that I had made the right decision for us. Sean trusted me to look out for him, Jesus, I didn’t want to let him down. Jim sat motionless, his head leaning up against the window. He looked as if he had already given up on life. He was not excited to be here, he was not afraid. He was nothing. 69 The brick school was located in the middle of the city and was massive and intimidating. Tall hedges and hawthorn bushes surrounded the place making it appear unfriendly. The Gardai got out of the car and opened the door closest to Sean. As the door opened we saw two lines of boys being led into the building. They were all dressed the same, walking with their heads down, in two side-by-side lines. A man in a long black robe walked in front of them, another man in a robe walked at the end of each line, and a fourth, robed man walking beside them. None of the boys looked happy. This was the first time I worried about our—my—decision to come here. “Come on now, Sean. We’ve got to go in.” I had to shake him to loosen him up and get him to move outside the vehicle. He slid off his seat slowly and allowed his feet to hit the ground. Sean turned and looked to me as I was trying to push out behind him. That look on his face, his eyes were wide and strained and his face was deathly white. God-damn, the kid was scared shitless. The three of us, now out of the vehicle, stood and stared up at this cold, haunting building where we would now live. We didn’t speak. I don’t think any of us knew what to say. I held on to Sean’s hand as we watched the two rows of boys being herded into the school. “Come on now.” The officer said. He proceeded to walk in front of us as we approached the building. “This place is run by the Presentation Brothers; announced the officer. “So they should treat ya’ well.” The Presentation Brothers? I had heard stories of boys being sent away to live with the Presentation Brothers in Catholic schools . A boy from the Polrone school had been taken away when his father died. The boy’s mother had taken up with another chap so the Gardai took the boy away from her. It made no sense. When the mother finally got him back, he was burnt all over his body and had turned real strange. No, this couldn’t be one of those places, could it?
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About the Book
Those Who Trespass Against Us is a vivid, disturbing look at the life and suffering of one small, orphaned, Irish boy. This is a heart-wrenching tale based on the life of Walter O'Keeffe, between, 1939-1948 in Ireland, as he struggles to survive the inhumane treatment imposed on him by those charged with his care. This is a tragic, personal account of lost love and abuse at a time when the Irish legal system had gone mad with regard to the care of children. Through-out the book a sharp picture is painted of the horrific conditions in Ireland's Industrial Schools, in particular, Greenmont Industrial School in Cork where the Presentation Brothers starved, beat, preyed upon, and abused the children in their care. During his years of abuse, Walter's happy memories of his early life with his parents in Polrone Ireland, and of his childhood sweetheart, Josie, provide him with hope and a place to escape the harsh realities of his dreadful existence. On May 11, 1999, the Government of Ireland apologized on behalf of the State to the victims of abuse in Ireland's industrial schools. For many, like Walter, the apology came to late, his life had already been grossly affected and negatively shaped by the horrors of being separated from his family and growing up in Greenmont. Other stories relate the suffering of Ireland's children, and while they are all horrible, no other so brilliantly describes a personal account of the severe conditions children were exposed to during this shameful period of Irish history. Walters story also exposes the lasting impact living in these conditions continued to have on individuals' even years after they left the chambers of horrors in which they were forced to live.
About the Author
Toni O'Keeffe grew up in Vancouver BC and is the second eldest child of Walter and Monica O'Keeffe. O'Keeffe has been a professional business writer and communicator for over twenty five years. She has now put her creative talent to work to carry out a promise she made to her father when she was only five years old, a promise that she would one day tell his story. O'Keeffe has two grown sons Ryan and Korey. She lives with her husband Robert in Parksville BC. She currently works as the Executive Director, Communications and Public Relations, at Vancouver Isalnd University.