Women of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries will be remembered today

Flowers are being laid at thousands of graves across the country.

Today marks the sixth annual Flowers for Magdalenes commemoration, campaigners will gather to pay their respects to over 1,600 women who suffered under the workhouse regime. The Justice for Magdalenes group says more still needs to be done to address the human rights abuses that occurred. Spokeswoman Claire McGettrick says it's important that we never forget,

"We are going to be gathering at Magdalene graves around the country and every city and town that had a Magdalene laundry. "All we're asking is for the public to come forward with bunches of flowers and just to simply lay flowers at the graves of these women, so that we can remember what they went through and that for one day of the year at least they are given some dignity and respect."

The occasion is likely to have added significance given Friday's revelations that a significant number of human remains were found at the site of a former mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway.