The Woman in the Wall weaves a dark murder mystery narrative surrounding convents in a town called Kilkinure, leaving viewers curious about how much of its depiction of Magdalene Laundries disguised as convents is based on real events. Created by Joe Murtagh, The Woman in the Wall‘s episode 1 focuses on a middle-aged woman, Lorna, who receives a letter from an unknown person claiming to know what happened to her child. Flashbacks then reveal that Lorna sustained immense trauma after spending time in a religious institution revealed to be a Magdalene Laundry.
When Lorna later finds a dead woman in her house, she starts suspecting that she might have killed her during her trauma-based bouts of sleepwalking. However, there seems to be more to the woman’s death and Lorna’s connection to it than meets the eye. The Woman in the Wall‘s thrilling drama makes it hard not to wonder about the real history of Magdalene Laundries.
The Woman In The Wall Cast & Character Guide
The Woman in the Wall is a gripping mystery series boasting an impressive and talented cast. Here is everyone involved in the production.
Woman In The Wall’s Kilkinure Convent Is Based On Real Magdalene Laundries
Although The Woman in the Wall‘s Kilkinure town is fictional, the Magdalene Laundries actually existed in Ireland. Also referred to as Magdalene Asylums, the institutions were run by Roman Catholic orders where nuns would profit by making young women and girls work. The so-called “fallen women” in these institutions included sex workers, women with unplanned pregnancies (as shown in The Woman in the Wall), and women who got pregnant out of wedlock or through sexual abuse. Women who refused to conform to societal norms were also admitted to the Magdalene Laundries along with orphaned, abandoned, or abused children.
As portrayed in Lorna’s flashbacks in The Woman in the Wall, nearly all Magdalene Laundries were led by sisters and located mostly in prominent towns and cities. The total number of women admitted to these institutes for free labor remains unknown. However, a rough estimation suggests that around 30,000 of them were held captive in the institutions in the name of moral justice. Even to this day, there are no official records of how many women were confined in these institutes and how they were treated because the religious organizations behind them maintained a high level of secrecy.
Ireland’s Last Magdalene Laundry Closed In 1996
The last Magdalene Laundry was reportedly closed in 1996, and following several inquiries and documentation, new evidence surrounding the human rights violations of the workers in the facilities emerged. The institutions remain a reminder of Ireland’s dark history and the systematic oppression of women on religious grounds.
Before The Woman in the Wall‘s fictional narrative adopted the Magdalene Laundries as a narrative device, films like The Magdalene Sisters portrayed the horrors experienced by the victims held captive in the facilities. After The Woman in the Wall, an upcoming film, Small Things Like These (starring Cillian Murphy), will be adapting a 2021 novel in which author Claire Keegan presents a historical fiction story that revolves around Magdalene Laundries.
The Woman in the Wall
The Woman in the Wall is a 2023 crime-drama thriller series created by Joe Murtaugh. When a woman named Lora wakes up to discover a body in her home, she is forced to investigate and uncover the truth behind the body – even if it means she may be the murderer.
