Leaked report reveals 9,000 babies died in 18 Mother and Baby Homes investigated across Ireland

The Taoiseach Micheál Martin will issue a formal state apology to all mother and baby home survivors in the Dáil next week following the official publication of the report. 
However, the Irish Independent has today published some of the report’s most disquieting findings ahead of its official publication on Tuesday.

The report is due to reveal that an estimated 9,000 children died in the 18 institutions investigated. That figure represents one in seven or 15% of all children born in homes studied.

These deaths took place across 14 Mother and Baby Homes and four sample State-operated County Homes.

Since the foundation of the State in 1922 up until the closure of the last of these homes in 1998, the commission report found 56,000 mothers passed through these homes and 57,000 children were born within these institutions.

The estimates published in the Commission’s report are based on the evidence indicating that the infant mortality rate in mother and baby homes was twice as high as the one recorded in Ireland’s general population.

According to the Irish Independent, the Taoiseach has read the report and is said to have found it shocking and, at times, difficult to read.

He reportedly described the experiences of those mothers and babies who resided in these homes as "extraordinarily sad and cruel."

Martin is due to make his state apology on Wednesday when the  Dáil reconvenes for the first time since the Christmas recess.


Catherine Corless, whose research led to the discovery (Image: RollingNews.ie)

Catherine Corless, the historian who helped uncover details about a mass grave at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, welcomed Martin’s state apology but said it must be backed up by action.  

"All the words in the world won't matter unless there is action behind them," she told RTÉ.

She also reiterated her belief that survivors should receive a formal apology by the Catholic Church and the religious orders that operated several of the homes around Ireland.

Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman is also set to address mother and baby home survivors prior to the official publication of the report on Tuesday.

Counselling services are to be made available to all mother and baby home survivors once the report is released.

O’Gorman has, however, been left “deeply angered” after these key details from the report were leaked to a newspaper.

"I am deeply angered to see sensitive details of the Commission Report leaked in a newspaper this morning," he tweeted.

"It is completely unacceptable that the people affected by the Report have found out elements of the Report in this way."

The government minister felt the survivors from these homes should have been the first to hear the investigation's findings.

The victims of Ireland's Mother and Baby Homes may receive compensation for the abuse they suffered behind closed doors.
From the mid-to-late 20th century, unwed mothers in Ireland were sent to special, Catholic-run 'Mother and Baby Homes', where some remained for the rest of their lives.
While the cruel, unjust nature of these homes has been known and acknowledged for some time, a new report leaked to the media yesterday revealed some of the most harrowing statistics to date.
The report, seen by The Irish Independent, is due to reveal that an estimated 9,000 children died in the just 18 institutions investigated. That figure represents one in seven or 15% of all children born in homes studied. 
These deaths took place across 14 Mother and Baby Homes and four sample State-operated County Homes. 
Since the foundation of the State in 1922 up until the closure of the last of these homes in 1998, the commission report found 56,000 mothers passed through these homes and 57,000 children were born within these institutions.

The site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam, Co. Galway (Image: RollingNews.ie)

Women in the institutions were subject to physical and mental abuse, and were told that the pain of childbirth was the result of their sin of having sex outside of marriage.
Now a Cabinet source has told The Irish Mirror that the victims of these institutions may be paid compensation, but as none of the homes were owned or run by the State, the Government may force religious organisations to pay the money.
The source told the outlet: "While none of these homes were run by the state we haven’t ruled out paying compensation and then forcing the religious orders involved to give us the money.
"There will be intense conversations on this issue in the coming weeks and months with all the parties involved."
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin is set to make a State Apology on Wednesday, after the report is officially published and the Dáil reconvenes after the Christmas recess.
Catherine Corless, the historian who helped uncover details about a mass grave at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, welcomed Martin’s state apology but said it must be backed up by action.  
"All the words in the world won't matter unless there is action behind them," she told RTÉ. 
She also reiterated her belief that survivors should receive a formal apology by the Catholic Church and the religious orders that operated several of the homes around Ireland.

The 2,800-page report identified an "appalling level of infant mortality" at the homes with as many as 9,000 babies dying across the 18 institutions investigated.

First established in the 19th century, they housed women and girls who became pregnant outside of marriage.

Some of the institutions investigated were operated by the Catholic Church.

In the wake of the report, the Taoiseach issued a State apology to the victims of the Mother and Baby Homes system.

Martin condemned "how this country responded to the particular needs of single women and their children at a time when they most needed support and protection."

The response drew criticism in some quarters including from the veteran CNN anchor.

While much of the interview was spent discussing Ireland’s response to Covid-19 and the installment of Joe Biden as US President, Amanpour appeared eager to grill Martin on the report.

Displaying the famous front page of the Irish Examiner the day after the report’s release, which featured the names of just some of the children who died in those mother and baby homes, the British-Iranian journalist took Martin to task on the issue.

On the subject of the report, Amanpour revisited many of the damning findings including the alarming death toll and the fact many of the homes were state-funded and remained open until 1998.

https://twitter.com/camanpour/status/1352711922345508864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1352711922345508864%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishpost.com%2Fnews%2Fcnn-host-questions-taoiseach-micheal-martins-response-to-mother-and-baby-homes-scandal-202135

“You did issue a formal apology,” she began.

“You described it as a ‘shameful chapter’ but there are many people who don't believe you went far enough, and made it sort of a whole-of-society issue, rather than the Church. Just tell me where you stand on this?”

Martin responded: “This was a shameful chapter in Ireland's history, and the Church bears a very heavy responsibility – as does the State."  

“The state did not protect its citizens. It did not protect the mothers and it did not protect the children who were born in these homes. The very fact that women were stigmatised in such a way was appalling and shocking and had its roots in what I would call a perverse moral code, a perverse attitude to sexuality that is impossible to comprehend and did enormous damage to people"

“Actions speak louder than words,” he continued.  

“We have to now do everything we possibly can in present day society to make amends and to make sure that the mothers and children involved have full access to information.”

The series, which has been launched as part of the Tuam Oral History Project’s digital exhibition, focuses on the stories of the survivors of the Tuam institution. 
The Co Cork actor is a patron of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at NUI Galway. 
Survivors from the institution have shared memories as part of the new oral history archive, with additional contributions from their families, advocates and members of the wider Tuam community. 
The accounts will serve as part of an independent resource designed to educate people about the history of the institution. 

"Over a period of eight decades in the 20th century, more than 190,000 women and children were placed in Mother and Baby Institutions and County Homes in Ireland, the most infamous of which was located in Tuam, Co. Galway," the synopsis reads.
"'Other: Stories from the Tuam Mother and Baby Home' shares the stories of survivors Teresa O’Sullivan, Peter Mulryan and Christine Carroll as they describe the impact on their lives of being born in the institution.  Narrated by Actor and Patron of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at NUI Galway, Cillian Murphy.
The Tuam Oral History Project is being led by Dr Sarah Anne Buckley and Dr John Cunningham and features collected oral histories and life stories of survivor.

The site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam, Co. Galway (Image: RollingNews.ie)

Over the past year, survivors have been invited to take part in artistic projects inspied by their stories and experiences.

Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley said: “While this project is looking at one institution in twentieth century Ireland, we believe it encapsulates the longer history of institutionalisation.

“As we now know, almost 200,000 women and children went through Ireland’s Mother and Baby Homes and County Homes – their stories both in these institutions and afterwards deserve continued attention by academics, artists and the State.”

NUI Galway last week announced the provisional findings of a report investigating the university’s historical links to donations of infant remains.

The newly-published fifth interim report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters confirmed that between 1949 and 1964, Galway Medical School “received and paid for 35 infant anatomical subjects”.

https://soundcloud.com/nuigalway/sets/other-stories-from-the-tuam-mother-and-baby-home-1

Steps are now being taken to try and identify these children so that a formal memorial can be developed for them.  
However, research conducted by Dr Buckley and Dr Lorraine Grimes found the  infants who died in the Central Hospital Galway could not have come from the Tuam institution, as once feared, noting that  there were nine infants and not 35 as previously believed. 
President of NUI Galway, Professor Ciaran O hOgartaigh said: “Like many other State organisations, NUI Galway, or UCG as it was then, was part of a society that did not sufficiently value the lives of some of its most vulnerable citizens. 
“As a university community, we are committed to openness, openness with regard to our institutional learning from the past, openness to new, often challenging perspectives and openness to communities which have not found universities, including our university, a welcoming part of their lived experience. 

“By memorialising these men, women and children, we wish to at last honour their legacy and acknowledge their sacrifices.” 

The Tuam Oral History Project has 3 phases: 

Phase 1: Collection and Archiving of Oral Histories, 2019-2020: Collection of oral histories from survivors, families of survivors and members of the wider community in Tuam; conference/seminar participation/organization; academic publication; podcast series and exhibition.

Phase 2: Creative Output and Outreach, 2020-22: Creative output; involvement of youth researchers from the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre (UCFRC); digitisation of the oral histories (and dissemination on-line of those for which relevant permissions have been given); conference/seminar participation/organization; academic publication.

Phase 3: Finalising Outputs and Further Steps, 2022-23: Archive to be complete and made publicly available; academic and creative publications; documentary.
Survivors stories here

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has launched an investigation into allegations of physical and sexual abuse involving Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene Laundries in the North.

It concerns the release of a damning report detailing research undertaken over the past six months with victims and survivors.

That follows a major academic report published earlier this year which outlined the scale of mistreatment endured by thousands of women and girls.

The research by Queen’s University and Ulster University confirmed that more than 14,000 girls and women went through mother and baby homes, Magdalene laundries and other institutions in the North between 1922 and 1990.

It found that women were mistreated, held against their will and forced to give up children for adoption, which prompted the NI Executive to order further investigation.

Pictured at Stormont, at the official launch of Truth Recovery Design Panel Report entitled ‘Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses in Northern Ireland – Truth, Acknowledgement and Accountability’ are panel members Dr Maeve O’Rourke, Deirdre Mahon (Chair) and Professor Phil Scraton

Last week the Truth Recovery Design Panel, which was created to undertake that investigation by working closely with victims and survivors of these institutions, presented their findings to the NI Executive at Stormont.

Their report, titled Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses in Northern Ireland – Truth, Acknowledgement and Accountability’, calls for a public inquiry to be held to establish the conditions and practices of these homes.

It also demands that immediate redress payments be made to victims and survivors and calls on the Government to pass legislation to secure access to adoption records for their families.

Chair of the Truth Recovery Design Panel, Deirdre Mahon, said: “For six months we have worked closely with victims-survivors and relatives who have shared their heart-breaking stories with us and we thank them for their dedicated and tireless pursuit of truth and justice.

“The Executive’s decision in January, on the Inter-Departmental Working Group’s advice, to set up an investigation and involve victims-and survivors centrally in designing the investigation was a hugely positive step.

“Nevertheless this decision has come too late for many, and it is essential that these recommendations are acted on without delay.”

The former Marianvale Mother and Baby Home in Newry, run by the Good Shepherd Sisters, which was examined in the recent research project
.
Dr Maeve O’Rourke, Truth Recovery Design Panel member, said at the launch of the report: “The University of Ulster/Queen’s University Belfast academic research report preceding our work contains clear evidence of gross and systemic human rights abuses in the institutions and related adoption system, including arbitrary detention, degrading treatment, serious infringements of the right to respect for private and family life and discrimination.
“Victims and survivors continue to describe ongoing abuse, including the disappearance of family members and the denial of identity.

“It is essential that the human rights of victims, survivors and relatives are at the heart of the forthcoming investigation. Human rights law also requires full access to records and urgent redress and reparation.”
Following the release of the Panel’s report on October 5, the PSNI have confirmed that dedicated officers are now “ready and waiting” to investigate reports of the crimes committed in these institutions.

Detective Chief Superintendent Anthony McNally, Head of Public Protection Branch, said: “Specially trained officers within our Historical Child Abuse Team will be investigating all allegations of non-recent physical and sexual abuse against residents of these homes. We have, from today, launched dedicated reporting mechanisms to make it easier for people to come forward to us with information.”

Anyone wishing to contact the dedicated Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene Laundries Investigative Team can do so by emailing MotherBabyHomes.Magdalenelaundries@psni.police.uk or calling 02890 901728.

A memorial to an unknown child can be seen on the unconsecrated grounds area known as the Bog Meadows in Milltown cemetery which is home to unmarked mass graves and the bodies of children from mother and baby homes

THE PSNI has confirmed it is now investigating six separate allegations of physical and sexual abuse involving mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland.

The reports are from “a number of people who were adopted from different named institutions and also from some who either worked there or were residents within these institutions”, they confirmed on November 2.

“All those who have come forward have been spoken to by a specialist detective from the Historic Child Abuse Unit within the Public Protection Branch and have been offered the opportunity to have their account recorded so that a criminal investigation can take place,” they explained.

All those who have made contact with the PSNI have also been offered to be signposted to other services for help and support.

“Officers are pleased that people are having the confidence after all these years to come forward and report,” the PSNI state, however the force believes “there are still people out there who have suffered as a result of criminal activity taking place in these Homes”.

The PSNI have conducted a new messaging campaign, calling on the community in Northern Ireland to make sure everyone knows how to contact the force via their dedicated reporting channels regarding incidents that may have occurred in mother and baby homes.

Detective Chief Superintendent Anthony McNally, Head of the PSNI’s Public Protection Branch, said: “We recognise the profound impact on the lives of those who were in Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene Laundries, and the concerns of the wider public on how they were operated.

“Those who suffered abuse in these Homes or know somebody who did, or those who may have witnessed potential criminal activity take place, please contact us. We don’t want anyone to feel they have to suffer in silence anymore.”

He added: “We will continue to circulate the details of our dedicated reporting channels but would ask that our local communities help us in getting the message out across Northern Ireland that we have a team of officers ready to robustly investigate reports made to us.”