Ward of the Court

Noreen Anne Roche was four years and two months old when her mother died. She and her siblings were split up and sent to live with related families. After two failed attempts in the care of heartless relatives, she was removed due to neglect, abuse and malnutrition. Soon, her life moved in a new direction. Noreen was made a ward of the court and ordered to attend an Industrial school for girls in Waterford, Ireland. A nefarious order of nuns subjected her to rigid, religious indoctrination and corporal discipline. In spite of a stolen childhood, she emerges against all odds into a life of independent success. Hiding her traumatic childhood secret for more than fifty years, Noreen writes poignantly to face her past, bringing closure for both herself and others who suffered the same unrelenting and ruthless injustice.