Peter Tyrrell
Encyclopedia
Peter Tyrrell was an Irish
author and former inmate of St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
, an institution run by the Christian Brothers
.
, County Galway
, Ireland. His mother begged to support her family, and when Peter was eight, the authorities petitioned the courts to place four of their eight children into St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
, where he remained until he was 16.
. While in the Army in India, he realised he was treating Indians badly and felt he was behaving like the Christian Brothers in Letterfrack. He was captured during World War II and held in a German prisoner-of-war camp
where he felt treated better than in Letterfrack.
When he returned to England he fell victim to anti-Irish racism, but was also rejected in the Irish community there because of his outspoken views.
For about a decade Peter Tyrrell had corresponded with Senator
Owen Sheehy-Skeffington
. Through Sheehy-Skeffington, he was put in touch with Hibernia (forerunner of The Phoenix
) magazine correspondent Joy Rudd in 1964. Rudd co-wrote his account of events in Letterfrack in the June edition under the title Early Days in Letterfrack, but the story was ignored by mainstream media outlets. Tyrrell was introduced by Rudd to a group of writers called Tuairim, who accepted his account of brutality in Letterfrack as being truthful, but who did not include it in their reports on children's institutions in Ireland.
, London in 1967. The only clue to his identity was a torn postcard addressed to Owen Sheehy-Skeffington. After several months, Scotland Yard were finally able to make a positive identification. The verdict following an inquest
was death by suicide
.
published its findings in the 'Ryan Report' on 20 May 2009 into abuse in industrial school
s in Republic of Ireland
. For legal reasons the Commission decided that names of victims and those complained of could not be made public and gave pseudonyms to both. Peter Tyrrell has been identified as "Noah Kitterick".
According to the Ryan Report, Noah Kitterick was in Letterfrack from 1924 to 1932. He wrote twice to the superior of Letterfrack in 1953 and met with the Superior General in 1957. He committed suicide by setting fire to himself in London in 1967.
Noah wrote to the Provincial of the Order in 1953, making allegations of sexual and physical abuse against three members of the order, identified in the report as "Br. Piperel", "Br. Perrin" and "Br. Corvax".
Noah wrote to the Superior twice in 1953, with two days between letters, but neither was replied to.
Noah met with the Provincial of the Congregation in 1957, though the latter thought he was "on a blackmail ticket".
was archiving the papers of Sheehy-Skeffington.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
author and former inmate of St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
St Joseph's Industrial School was an industrial school for young boys in Letterfrack, County Galway, Ireland. The school was opened in 1887, and ran by the Congregation of Christian Brothers....
, an institution run by the Christian Brothers
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
.
Early life
Tyrrell was born in 1916 to poor parents near Cappagh, AhascraghAhascragh
Ahascragh is a village in east Galway, Ireland. It is located north-west of Ballinasloe on the Ahascragh/Bunowen River, a tributary of the River Suck. The R358 regional road passes through the village.-History:...
, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, Ireland. His mother begged to support her family, and when Peter was eight, the authorities petitioned the courts to place four of their eight children into St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
St Joseph's Industrial School was an industrial school for young boys in Letterfrack, County Galway, Ireland. The school was opened in 1887, and ran by the Congregation of Christian Brothers....
, where he remained until he was 16.
Adult life
He worked as a tailor in Ballinasloe for a while, then in 1935 he emigrated and in 1939 joined the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. While in the Army in India, he realised he was treating Indians badly and felt he was behaving like the Christian Brothers in Letterfrack. He was captured during World War II and held in a German prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
where he felt treated better than in Letterfrack.
When he returned to England he fell victim to anti-Irish racism, but was also rejected in the Irish community there because of his outspoken views.
For about a decade Peter Tyrrell had corresponded with Senator
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
Owen Sheehy-Skeffington
Owen Sheehy-Skeffington
Dr. Owen Lancelot Sheehy-Skeffington was an Irish university lecturer and Senator.- Early life :Sheehy-Skeffington was brought up in Dublin, Ireland. His father, Francis Sheehy-Skeffington, was a pacifist and nationalist whose murder by Captain J.C. Bowen-Colthurst in 1916 during the week of the...
. Through Sheehy-Skeffington, he was put in touch with Hibernia (forerunner of The Phoenix
The Phoenix (magazine)
The Phoenix is Ireland's best selling political and current affairs magazine. Inspired by the British magazine Private Eye, and a source of investigative journalism in Ireland...
) magazine correspondent Joy Rudd in 1964. Rudd co-wrote his account of events in Letterfrack in the June edition under the title Early Days in Letterfrack, but the story was ignored by mainstream media outlets. Tyrrell was introduced by Rudd to a group of writers called Tuairim, who accepted his account of brutality in Letterfrack as being truthful, but who did not include it in their reports on children's institutions in Ireland.
Death
Tyrrell's charred remains were found on Hampstead HeathHampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is a large, ancient London park, covering . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London clay...
, London in 1967. The only clue to his identity was a torn postcard addressed to Owen Sheehy-Skeffington. After several months, Scotland Yard were finally able to make a positive identification. The verdict following an inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
was death by suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Ryan Report
The Commission to Inquire into Child AbuseCommission to Inquire into Child Abuse
The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse is one of a range of measures introduced by the Irish Government to investigate the extent and effects of abuse on children from 1936 onwards. It is commonly known in Ireland as the Ryan Commission , after its chair, Justice Seán Ryan...
published its findings in the 'Ryan Report' on 20 May 2009 into abuse in industrial school
Industrial school
In Ireland the Industrial Schools Act of 1868 established industrial schools to care for "neglected, orphaned and abandoned children". By 1884 there were 5,049 children in such institutions....
s in Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. For legal reasons the Commission decided that names of victims and those complained of could not be made public and gave pseudonyms to both. Peter Tyrrell has been identified as "Noah Kitterick".
According to the Ryan Report, Noah Kitterick was in Letterfrack from 1924 to 1932. He wrote twice to the superior of Letterfrack in 1953 and met with the Superior General in 1957. He committed suicide by setting fire to himself in London in 1967.
Noah wrote to the Provincial of the Order in 1953, making allegations of sexual and physical abuse against three members of the order, identified in the report as "Br. Piperel", "Br. Perrin" and "Br. Corvax".
Noah wrote to the Superior twice in 1953, with two days between letters, but neither was replied to.
Noah met with the Provincial of the Congregation in 1957, though the latter thought he was "on a blackmail ticket".
Posthumous publication
His memoir, Founded in Fear, was finally published in 2006 by Irish Academic Press. The manuscript came to light in 2004 when historian Diarmuid WhelanDiarmuid Whelan
Dr. Diarmuid Whelan was an Irish academic in the history department of UCC. Born in Cork, he studied at Christian Brothers College, Cork and UCC. He wrote his doctoral thesis on Conor Cruise O'Brien....
was archiving the papers of Sheehy-Skeffington.