Magdalene laundry survivors to be honoured at rally in Dublin today

In an effort to highlight the State's shortcomings in the handling of the Magdalene laundry cases, a rally is being held to honour the survivors this morning.

The Director of the National Women's Council of Ireland, Orla O'Connor, made reference to the government's failings while speaking ahead of the event in the city-centre  today.

"The government have promised there would be consultations with the survivors in terms of how they wanted to be remembered and memorialised and this has yet to happen," she said.

Orla insisted that the NWCI would show solidarity with survivors and urged the government to make a connection with those who have bore the brunt of their unfulfilled promises.

"We are very much in the National Women's Council, standing with the survivors of the Magdalene laundries today to say that the government need to start this, they need to talk to the survivors and see how they want to be remembered."

The rally comes days after campaigners called for the removal of a statue dedicated to the Sisters of Mercy outside a former laundry in Dublin.