TESTIMONIALS
"This moving memoir of a lost childhood is so compelling because the author triumphs from despair. Told in a matter-of-fact manner, rather than a scathing commentary, furnished with amazing detail from the author’s photographic memory, the reader not only shares the pain of a child ripped from a family, but receives a vivid “street level” portrait of mid 20th century rural Ireland, ruled like a theocracy by the Catholic Church.
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Here we see how children were reared in forlorn convents, where love and nurturing were replaced by corporal discipline, fear and religious indoctrination. Here we learn from the searing memories of a little girl trying to survive, how a misguided country allowed church and state to degrade and exploit the vulnerable in the name of God. But the book also delivers optimism, and shares moments of joy as only a child could experience. A heartwarming read indeed."
- Ross Edlund
"Losing her mother at age four, being separated from her siblings and put into the care of abusive relatives, the author was ultimately made a ward of the Irish court and sent to live at a Catholic home for girls. This is a compelling memoir of a childhood spent at the mercy of uncaring relatives and later under the strict custody of the nuns of the Good Shepard Convent. The author describes life lived in a religious institution without any individual affection or encouragement, but where the seeds of self-reliance and determination were sown.
This book is an intimate picture of life in rural mid-century Ireland where electricity and running waterwere not yet commonplace and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church was then overpowering. It is an uplifting story of a young girl’s resilience and her continuing love for her Irish homeland."
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- Mal
I loved the prologue, Noreen!
The last page (5) made me cry (from the home page on your website). I would like to hug you tightly. Your book will be waiting for me at home.
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- M.C.
Ward of the Court is an honest, heart-wrenching look at Noreen’s tough childhood in 1960s Ireland. Her resilience is inspiring, and it’s amazing to see how far Ireland has come since then. While the book highlights some difficult times, it also shows the strength of spirit that’s at the heart of Irish life. Ireland’s changed so much for the better, and Noreen’s story is a great reminder of that journey. A truly moving read!
- Mairead-your friend for many decades.
​​At the tender age of 4, the author loses her Mother, missing her nurturing and loving warmhearted embrace. The poignant memory she would carry with her was the scent of her lipstick; etched in her memory forever. The family unit is broken, siblings are separated, as she is shifted off to The Good Shepherd Convent in Waterford. Her narrative highlights vividly what happens behind closed doors when raised by a religious order in a regimented enclosed community! Here we learn how her self-esteem is shattered when she if often humiliated for the slightest transgression. Noreen champions the heroine within this loveless institution to come an RN in the UK. Ironic to think of the caring, compassionate career she undertook despite the omission of it in childhood! At 30 she finds her soulmate and marries, although, not forgetting the shackles of her lost childhood An insightful memoir and a must read!
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- Irene McGraw
Noreen Anne Roche bares her soul in revealing how as a "Ward of the Court" she prevailed over personal abuse and institutional callousness in Ireland's mid-20th Century impoverished and repressive rural culture. When she was only four, she was separated from her father and three siblings after her 30-year-old mother's tragic death. Roche was shuttled between relatives and a Catholic orphanage as she grew uo. Reminiscent of Dickens, the virtues of some relatives and nuns and Roche's own resiliency and pluck redeem the bleakness of her narrative.
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- Greg Konczewski
This is a powerful memoir of a broken childhood in a harshly run orphanage in Waterford, Ireland during the 1950s and 60s. The author tragically loses her mother at age 4 and her life is changed forever. The story is told with remarkable realism and detail that keeps the reader travelling right beside the author through her shattered childhood but rewarded later as she emerges victorious and intact to live an extraordinarily successful life. I couldn't leave the book down and I read it in two sittings.
- Bridget McIntyre
Losing her mother at age four, being separated from her siblings and put into the care of abusive relatives, the author was ultimately made a ward of the Irish court and sent to live at a Catholic home for girls. This is a compelling memoir of a childhood spent at the mercy of uncaring relatives and later under the strict custody of the nuns of the Good Shepard Convent. The author describes life lived in a religious institution without any individual affection or encouragement, but where the seeds of self reliance and determination were sown. This book is an intimate picture of life in rural mid-century Ireland where electricity and running water were not yet commonplace and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church was then overpowering. It is an uplifting story of a young girl’s resilience and her continuing love for her Irish homeland.
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- Mary E.
An immersive and fascinating reflection of a difficult Irish childhood, an inspiring story of hope and determination,I couldn't put it down, cover to cover read in a matter of hours. Well done to the author.
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- M. Irwin, United Kingdom