Since 1994 my mother has been on a journey to find out info about herself & her baby when they spent time in #Bessboro #MotherAndBabyHome. 30yrs later in 2024 she is awaiting to hear if the Coroner will grant an inquest for the death of baby William. #Stolen . When will this end?

#Stolen The MBHCOI found no/to little evidence of abuse. My mother went to the investigative committee & explained that she pleaded with the nuns for her baby to see a doctor. It took them 16 days to send him to hospital. She was not permitted to go with him. Buried without her.

This isn't history. Here's Tusla - Child and Family Agency telling staff to not call Jackie's sons adoption llegal in case people go to the courts. In 2017. History echoing in the present. Fully documented cases ignored by the Commission and the State. Today #stolen. irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid…

I asked about the Confidential Committee in 2015. The Commission refused to answer any questions about how it was going to operate. I knew then it would be what it was. #stolen irishexaminer.com/news/arid-2034…

1 This is the poem from Margo Harkin's excellent and rage inducing documentary #stolen which screened last night, it was an absolute honour to have the chance to be in anyway associated with the dignity, bravery and fury of those who have survived these institutions of shame-

#Ireland #Dublin #MotherandBabyHomes #MagdalenLaundries #InvisibleDead #InvisibleLiving As #Coldplay delight thousands just down the road, I’ve an evening of contemplation ahead of tomorrow… A draft Bill and a series of forensic Qs to one religious order in my family’s quest

The difference is astonishing and the timing is indeed curious. Great to spend time with Frank Brehany (Proinséas Mac an Bhreitheamhnaigh) and Underground Films today telling the story of the High Park exhumations.

Reposting this as... relevant.

Interesting how quickly investigations into bicycle sheds can materialise. We've been sounding the alarm for years yet we're still waiting for an (independent & comprehensive) inquiry into the Irish adoption system. (Of course, the same can be said for several other injustices.)

No one is surprised but let's hope the Government learn from previous inquiries and redress schemes. I fear it won't rte.ie/news/2024/0903…

I’m very much looking forward to seeing #Twine in October. Like many of us in adoption activism & scholarship, Selina is amongst those in theatre who are doing vital work in pushing the boundaries of how we conceptualise adoption.

Note that the focus is not on accountability. Instead, affected individuals are encouraged towards self-care. Of course, many find therapeutic supports helpful (NB it’s okay if you don’t), but such offers are meaningless in the absence of transparency and accountability.

Seize their assets reads better than moral obligation.

Also. Journalists and commentators, you can find ways to comment on the damage caused by childhood sexual abuse that do not accidentally denigrate or deny the agency and competence of survivors. It helps institutions dismiss us if they can consider us irrevocably damaged.

Dr Thomas McCann the first Irish Traveller man to earn a PhD in Ireland. 💚💯

I am seething over the schools abuse report. It is going to take me a few days to articulate a practical road forward. All I can say is that at each previous similar moment a show of state sympathy has been followed by a long war against survivors, to protect institutions.