Mary Norris
Mary Norris (born Mary Cronin; 1932–31 May 2017) was an Irish woman who spent part of her youth in a Magdalene laundry and in St Joseph’s Orphanage, and who later spoke publicly about the abuse she endured.
She was born in Sneem, County Kerry, the eldest of eight children. Her father died when she was twelve, and her mother began a relationship with a local farmer. When a parish priest urged her mother to end the relationship, the priest’s pressure led to the children being taken by the courts and sent to different Catholic institutions.
Mary was sent to St Joseph’s Orphanage in Killarney. At sixteen, in 1949, she was sent to work as a maid in a Good Shepherd laundry in Cork. She says the work was extremely hard, about ten hours a day, and that her name was changed to Myra and she was given the number 30. She was told her family had abandoned her.
After two years, an aunt in America found her and took her away from the laundry. Mary later asked for a list of the names of those buried in unmarked graves behind the laundry.
She was reunited with her mother and siblings, and she moved to London with her mother. After her mother’s death in 1989, Mary returned to Ireland. Her brothers had been with the Christian Brothers in Tralee, and both died—one in a fire and the other through murder; both had problems with alcohol. Her sisters emigrated, and Mary became the sole member of her immediate family remaining in Ireland.
Mary Norris spoke about her experiences in a 1999 interview with the Irish Independent. She was married twice and had one daughter, born Mary Patricia Cronin in London, who later used the name Susan Ann Davis. They reunited in 1984 when Susan was living in Scotland; Susan died on 15 July 2016. Mary Norris died on 31 May 2017 in Knocknagoshel, County Kerry.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:57 (CET).