To make you aware of Ireland’s Mother and Baby Home Commission report

[VestaTilley]

Apologies if there’s been a thread on this already, but I wanted to raise awareness of this appalling crime against women and children.

I’m sure many people are aware, as I was, of the prevalence of Mother and Baby homes in Ireland throughout the twentieth century, and the roll the church and state played in colluding to hide away unmarried mothers and separate them from their children. But I had no idea about the obscenely high infant mortality rate in these homes, or the other awful acts that took place on the children there, such as vaccine trials.

In one home, Tuam, 796 babies and infants died between 1925 and 1961. They were then buried without ceremony in a former septic tank and forgotten about until a remarkable local historian Catherine Corless discovered the grave and made the story known, along with other local women including daughters of women who had had babies at the home.

The NY Times wrote a long read about it a few years ago www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/28/world/europe/tuam-ireland-babies-children.html which is utterly heartbreaking, but gives a voice to women and children who were so badly let down. I recommend it.

I know some survivors and their families are disappointed on the commission’s report. I’ve not read it and I don’t think it’s my place to comment, but I hope some Irish Mumsnetters may wish to do so.

There were fewer such homes in the UK, but they did exist; there was one in Glasgow that I’m aware of.

I just didn’t want such an important chapter in the lives of so many women and children not to be seen here. Mumsnet is a phenomenal women’s forum and a platform for women’s voices. I wanted these women and children’s voices to be heard. Please read the NY times piece, and remember the children born in the homes.

Catherine Corless is an absolute legend of a woman.

Heartbreaking, Its a pity the bastards who ran these places are dead.

Thankyou op. In my view this is a Holocaust. It went on quietly and to the benefit of the state for nearly 80 years. Slavery, abuse, murder, systematic, profit making, experimentation. With collusion from families, the state and the church. The banality of evil in all its glory. You say misogyny yet women were active and key participants in these acts.

Indeed. Internalised misogyny and brainwashing about how these women were to blame for their lot played a huge part. Many of these poor women were rape victims. Several of the mothers were as young as 12. Just appalling.

9000 dead babies. I couldn’t sleep all last night for dwelling on it. Nearly all preventable deaths. Nearly all forgotten about and accepted as “one of those things”.

The attitude to children born outside of marriage was so monstrous.

It's incredibly shocking and a huge shame no-one can be brought to justice. Thank god Ireland has changed.

There were fewer such homes in the UK, but they did exist; there was one in Glasgow that I’m aware of.

I think there were a lot more than you are aware of OP, I think a lot of reasonable sized towns had one at some point. What shocked me was the date the last Irish one closed down, I am sure it was in the 90's ?

1998 the last Irish one closed down.

Indeed, I’m sure there were lots here; I wasn’t sure of names of cities etc though, so didn’t want to generalise without knowing for sure.

Either way I can’t believe people just accepted it for so long. Our world is so steeped in misogyny.

I was thinking about the justice thing, if you were a 15 yr old girl in one of these homes in the late 70's and your abusers ( because that is what they were ) were in their 20's or 30's , there is every chance they are still alive.

In my view this is a Holocaust

I wouldn't disagree, but then it's worth looking at role role the catholic church played in helping the perpetrators of the more "famous" one to escape

Impossible to ignore the parallels ...

I was aware from bbc but thank you for posting OP. It’s shocking and a reminder how inhumane people can easily become when they start seeing people as ‘other’. Those priests and nuns didn’t see those mothers and babies as peope with rights.

I had an aunt who gave birth in one of those institutions the stories of cruelty and abuse she told us are horrific, all in the name of religion.

To think women were sent to these institutions is bad, to think people accepted, tolerated and allowed it - communities, families, neighbours - is the thing that really got to me. The stories of what went on are harrowing, the cruelty and casual indifference to the lives of these mums and children absolutely wound ones heart to listen to - but somehow the idea you could just make the problem people disappear and tidy them away in such a structured fashion is terrifying. The description of what happened as a holocaust feels bang on.

Horrific. So many crimes against humanity. Utterly unforgivable.

Massive massive trigger warning to this. Please don't click into it idly. It's testimony from a by now elderly man about what happened him.

www.facebook.com/hurlingBanter/videos/1067781963734978

For anyone who can even bear to hear about it, which I doubt many of us can - remember which church did this. And fucking remember it clearly.

Shocking on so many levels. Hard to believe this was still happening 22 years ago

Many years ago I banned my children from going to the Catholic Church (they were part of the choir my dm brought them to with her wicked self). Guess who continued to bring them and I only found out years later? My fucking mother. A client, not unlike the abusive bastards in the church herself. I was apoplectic with rage when I found out.

To think women were sent to these institutions is bad, to think people accepted, tolerated and allowed it - communities, families, neighbours - is the thing that really got to me

Yep. Fucking disgusting.

Everyone had 'the fear of God' put in them, every person was too afraid to say anything. Men made the rules under the guise of religion and had everybody too fearful to do or say anything.

Its almost unbelievable.

Every time I watch The Magdalen Sisters I cry my eyes out but I watch it at least once a year just honor the women and think about them.

It's horrific. My aunt was sent to one of them but luckily was allowed to go home after a few weeks. Had and kept my lovely cousin. Such needless cruelty. My mind cannot even comprehend all of those poor innocent babies.
I saw a clip of Mary-Lou McDonald this evening and she told a story of a woman who's son was taken from her without her knowledge or permission and she didn't see him for 5 decades.
When they found each other he asked her " Mam, how old am I really?"
He had no birth certificate. He had no idea how old he was. Hard to wrap your mind around it.

I'm sure a lot of you know that film. If you dont and you feel you can handle watching it,please do.

*whose

The Magdalene Sisters*
Sorry

When will these people I.E. Catholic Church employees, be accountable? Because that's what they are. Human beings, not direct descendants of God.

Just because you wear a collar doesn't make you exempt from prosecution.

I read a report in the Fail the other day and these institutions were open until 1998!! Absolutely dispicable.

To think women were sent to these institutions is bad, to think people accepted, tolerated and allowed it - communities, families, neighbours - is the thing that really got to me

^

This. Blind community acceptance and denial. Mind blowing.

It's incredibly shocking and a huge shame no-one can be brought to justice. Thank god Ireland has changed.

^

Why can't they be brought to justice? WW2 ended in 1945 and they are still trialling the Nazis

I can’t bear to click your links, OP. It’s heartbreaking and rage-inducing in equal measure. What monstrous evil leads somebody to do these things?

As an ex-Catholic, I agree that we need to keep on shining a light on this, and all the other egregious conduct of the church. Why any woman would choose to be Catholic is beyond me.