When I was petitioning for bankruptcy I was at a low ebb in my life. In Ireland at that time there was still a significant stigma attached to the concept of bankruptcy. It was almost as if it was not legal. The legislation governing it dated back to mid 19th century and it was designed at that time to be a very penal process. There was a minimum of a 12 year term which was way out of line with the norm in developed countries and it was availed of so rarely as a remedy that if you did have to go bankrupt in Ireland pre the crash of 2008 it was usually because of substantial fraud or reckless trading etc . You were often seen as a social pariah, and a hopeless failure In strictly catholic Ireland for such a long time the same type of social stigma was attributed to marriage break downs and pregnancies out side of wedlock. In others words, everyone in society knew you had messed up and because you had done so in public, well then shame on you.
Thankfully my near neighbours in the UK had a more subtle approach in that the bankruptcy procedure was availed of much more often over there and their system was more developed and understanding as a result. And so with that context in mind I felt so grateful to be treated with kindness, professionalism and understanding during my time going through the bankruptcy process in the UK. From start to finish I felt like I was being respected despite my unfortunate circumstances and I clearly recall what the Judge said to me in court on the very last part of the process as he formally discharged me from the unsustainable level of debt that I had hanging over me. As I said there in the court room , still feeling quite vulnerable and ashamed of the position I was in, he politely smiled at me and said “ ..Mr Hogan, I wish the best of luck and you are now free to get on with the rest of your life . “ At that moment I knew that I had been given a second chance and I was determined to make the most of it.
