Mother And Child Reunion

at

Over the weekend.

The Two Norries podcast met traveller Catherine Coffey O’Brien.

Catherine spent a large part of her childhood in an industrial school and then in Cork’s Bessborough mother and baby home as a pregnant 16 year old. She has called for Bessborough – earmarked for a housing development – to be preserved and appropriately maintained as a memorial site.

Catherine (@1.07) explains why she believes medical histories should be provided to all adoptees but the identity of birth mothers must remain confidential.

The report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes will be published next week.

Previously: Unto Us A Child Is Born

The Two Norries

Sponsored Link

2 thoughts on “Mother And Child Reunion

  1. curmudgeon

    OK she outright wants to deny children a right to know who their parents are because it would be uncomfortable for their mothers, and so she is happy for the records to be sealed for 30 years.

    She knows 89 mothers who were sent to industrial schools only 1 went public before the commission and the rest haven’t told their husbands they even had a child.

    I think The Two Norries should interview or poll a few of the orpans who live without ever knowing their parents and see how they feel about it.

  2. Verbatim

    Oh, jez terribly sad when you hear the cruelty that this woman experienced and saw.
    I love how the middle-class Irish love to blame the Catholic Church but they were definitely not alone in the damage they did. It’s quite sick how certain strata of the population were treated and continue to be treated.

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie