Politics & More Miriam Moriarty Owens Promo. Politics and more. It's not just about Politics. There's More to it!
Miriam Moriarty Owens, a Survivor, Author and Dail (Irish Parliament) Hunger Striker, 51 days hunger strike (fluids only) with 3 other Industrial & Reformatory School Survivors.
‘’Goodnight from me (Miriam) and Mary, Maurice and Mary, we’re the 4 Ms, the mighty 4.’’
‘’We’re on hunger strike since 10 o’clock on Sunday night (September 21st) and not one minister, elected minister and Danny (Healy Rae TD) I have to say, we’ve contacted you, you’ve not contacted us and you’re a Kerry man, I’m very disappointed in you.’’
Mairead Kenny: Miriam, How did you guys come together to plan that or decide to do the hunger strike?
Miriam Moriarty Owens: It wasn’t really planned. We didn't intend to go on hunger strike; we were forced into doing something drastic for the government to listen to us.
Two of my fellow hunger strikers (Maurice & Mary) were in consultation talks with the government for the past, since 2019. There were so many recommendations put in, they ended up getting none. Not one was passed.
Mairead Kenny: There were four thousand or more survivors (and survivors who had died as well). You were representing all of them.
Miriam Moriarty Owens: We gave them notice in July (4th approx.), just the day before the close of the summer break. We said, in an email to them and handed them the letter in the Dail. We said we were going to put you on notice. We didn't give them the date. Naturally they went on their summer break.
Mairead Kenny: OK, you gave them notice then, email and you hand-delivered it as well, that you were going to go on hunger strike, the four of you.
Miriam Moriarty Owens: Yeah, we hand delivered them.
Mairead Kenny: And you got no response?
Miriam Moriarty Owens: Not one. Every TD, you get these automated responses. I don't want to speak to machine.
Mairead Kenny: Out of office.
Miriam Moriarty Owens: Out of office, yes and I'm going, oh my God. We decided then together the four of us (hunger strikers) that we we'd start our hunger strike on the 21st of September (2025).
Mairead Kenny: OK.
Miriam Moriarty Owens: We’d give them a week.
Mairead Kenny: Were they just back in the Dail?
Miriam Moriarty Owens: A week.
Mairead Kenny: They were back a week. OK. And they still hadn't responded to any of your emails?
Miriam Moriarty Owens: No.
Mairead Kenny: And did you email them a few times then about the hunger strike?
Miriam Moriarty Owens: Quite a few times. They’re inboxes must be exploding.
Miriam Moriarty Owens: Exploding. Or else they blocked us coming in. ‘Oh, not another one’. But even making phone calls to them. I think it was just the disrespect.
Miriam Moriarty Owens: We asked could go in, they said oh you can but only one of you are allowed into the Dail. We said we’re here the 4 of us. Nobody was willing to help.
Mairead Kenny: Ye should have been top priority to get that sorted out.
*
Mairead Kenny: Join me, Mairead Kenny, my interview with Miriam Moriarty Owens on the 51-day hunger strike. Full Episode coming soon.
Politics and More. It's not just about Politics. There's More to it!
AUDIO 23.09.2025 ‘LIVE FROM THE OUSIDE LEINSTER HOUSE DAIL IRISH PARLIAMENT’ – MARIA STEEN PRESIDENTIAL Media + Miriam Moriarty Owens ‘Caught on the hop’ here
AUDIO 03.11.2025 Darren Devereux Hungerstriker The 4 Hunger Strikers song here and here.
AUDIO 05.11.2025 Miriam's update from the camp after 1st meeting with Mediator assigned here
AUDIO 08.11.2025 Letters From Secondary School students in Meán Scoil Nua, Tríúigh, Castlegregory Kerry To the Four Survivors of Ireland’s Industrial and Reformatory Schools on Hunger Strikers here.
Thank you to all in the school for your wonderful kind letters to the Mighty Ms, 4 Hunger Strikers Industrial Schools Survivors and the Taoiseach & Tánaiste. Great work there! 🥰
https://maireadkenny.ie/miriam-moriarty-owens/
","author_name":"Mairead Kenny"}