St Anne's Reformatory, Kilmacud, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
St Anne's Reformatory for Girls was opened in 1944 at Kilmacud Road Upper, Kilmacud, Co. Dublin. It was established to accommodate girls who were considered a risk to other children because of their sexual experiences. If, as had typically been the case, such girls were placed in an Industrial School it had come to be believed that they exercised a corrupting influence over the other children'. These included girls as young as eight who had been raped or abused, or even those children who had just been in contact with such girls. St Anne's was run by Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of Refuge.

Former St Anne's Reformatory, Kilmacud. © Peter Higginbotham
In 1954, following the discovery of sexual abuse offences by a long-standing employee at the St Joseph's Girls' Reformatory in Limerick, nine of the girls involved were transferred to St Anne's.
The former St Anne's premises are now in private use.
Records
Note: many repositories impose a closure period of up to 100 years for records identifying individuals. Before travelling a long distance, always check that the records you want to consult will be available.
- None identfied at present — any information welcome.
Bibliography
- Carpenter, Mary Reformatory Schools, for the Children of the Perishing and Dangerous Classes, and for Juvenile Offenders (1851, General Books; various reprints available)
- Carlebach, Julius Caring for Children in Trouble (1970, Routledge & Kegan Paul)
- Higginbotham, Peter Children's Homes: A History of Institutional Care for Britain's Young (2017, Pen & Sword)
- Abel Smith, Doroth Crouchfield: A History of the Herts Training School 1857-1982 (2008, Able Publishing)
- Garnett, Emmeline Juvenile offenders in Victorian Lancashire: W J Garnnett and the Bleasdale Reformatory (2008, Regional Heritage Centre, Lancaster University)
- Hicks, J.D. The Yorkshire Catholic Reformatory, Market Weighton (1996, East Yorkshire Local History Society)
- Slocombe, Ivor Wiltshire Reformatory for Boys, Warminster, 1856-1924 (2005, Hobnob Press)
- Duckworth, J.S. The Hardwicke Reformatory School, Gloucestershire (in Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, 1995, Vol. 113, 151-165)
Links
- Glencree Reconciliation Centre (former Reformatory site)
- The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse
Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.