Little Drifters: Kathleen’s Story

Little Drifters: Kathleen’s Story
Kathleen O’Shea

The harrowing true story of a travelling Irish family bonded by love, broken apart by life, and then betrayed by their carers in a cruel convent in Ireland.“For those who we lost along the way, I tell this story. For all the children who suffered in this terrible place. For all those I consider my brothers and sisters; the ones who died, the ones who lost their minds, the ones who drown their memories everyday in a bottle of whisky, I tell this for you.Because in the end we are all brothers and sisters – and if we don’t feel that bond of love between each other, just as human beings, then we are nothing. We are no better than the monsters that ran the convents.”Based in Ireland in the 1960s and 70s, Kathleen’s story is a story of extreme hardship, suffering and abuse. It is the story of 11 siblings, abandoned by their mother and torn from their father, incarcerated in convents and then driven apart in the cruellest ways imaginable; it is the story of their ruined childhoods and their fight for recompense. But more than that, it is a story of courage, survival and the incredible strength of sibling bonds against overwhelming adversities.Out of terrible darkness comes a remarkable story. In the tradition of Irish storytelling, Kathleen offers a mesmerising account of her family’s experience.

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Dedication (#u609982a6-788d-5dd7-b273-1f9e8879f02c)

Little Drifters is dedicated to Grace, a very special person who was always there in my time of need. Rest in peace.

And to all the survivors in all the institutions and to all those who sadly did not make it. This is for you.

Epigraph (#u609982a6-788d-5dd7-b273-1f9e8879f02c)

When we were young, wild and free

The happiest times for all to see

Had its moments of sorrow and pain

But I would live them all again

Brothers and sisters sticking together

Mother and father in all kinds of weather

Life can be cruel and often unkind

Now it’s a memory engraved on my mind.

(‘Memories’, Anon.)

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.

Without them, humanity cannot survive.

(Dalai Lama XIV)

Contents

Cover (#ua2a9ddce-fbb1-5a76-a603-fbc48903e716)

Title Page (#ulink_5f889949-2ac5-5d59-9f73-db4cf310209a)

Dedication (#ulink_af5f9040-328e-5c07-b90c-8734097730b8)

Epigraph (#ulink_292e53cd-b30e-5541-8aa0-1c6982a15634)

Prologue (#ulink_289d423f-d7b2-5f8e-bbab-329f33e468da)

PART I: Bonded

Chapter 1: The Cottage (#ulink_fb1da7a4-4494-5a19-ab7f-b6067067741a)

Chapter 2: Life on the Road (#ulink_742f92f3-4410-5e7c-b442-67cdde6291e3)

Chapter 3: Harsh Reality (#ulink_1372f5c1-1b75-5e3f-bc39-aac4442742cb)

Chapter 4: A Birth and a Death (#ulink_8cbebf6d-f187-5617-8520-5fee07c27564)

Chapter 5: Needles and Haystacks (#ulink_baeaad9a-9999-56be-821b-95c2c4ebb316)

Chapter 6: A New Home (#ulink_1c929515-e42d-554e-9cd8-4dc1fc4746c7)

PART II: Broken

Chapter 7: Gloucester (#ulink_1a9c1951-8304-5b0d-a1b8-fd2833adcce0)

Chapter 8: Daddy (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9: North Set (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10: Despair (#litres_trial_promo)

PART III: Betrayed

Chapter 11: Watersbridge (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12: Grace (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13: Losing Tara (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14: Abuse (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15: Drugged (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16: Attacked (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 17: Love (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 18: Losing It (#litres_trial_promo)

PART IV: Survivors

Chapter 19: Escape (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 20: A Child in London (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 21: Moving On (#litres_trial_promo)