Content Warning: In this episode we discuss 2002 movie The Magdalene Sisters, which features scenes of sexual violence, and physical / emotional abuse. We won’t be going into the details, but we will be discussing historical instances of abuse in Irish institutions in general terms.

On this episode, we’re joined by our very first guest: the anthropologist, author and serial period drama extra, Dr Hugh Turpin. And he’s joined us for a heavy one; 2002’s The Magdalene Sisters. How did the release of the film fit in with the growing secularisation of Irish society? And what is the lingering influence of scandals such as Magdalene laundries on modern Irish Catholic identity?