Tuam babies duo honoured for their work
IRISH Daily Mail journalist Alison O’Reilly and campaigner Anna Corrigan have been honoured at Trinity College Dublin for highlighting the Tuam Mother and Baby Home scandal.
Ms O’Reilly and Ms Corrigan were yesterday awarded the Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage of the University Philosophical Society at Trinity.
They were given the award in ‘celebration of the outstanding and unique contributions they have made to public discourse and human rights’ through their ‘tireless work’ to uncover the scandal.
Ms O’Reilly said: ‘It is a massive honour to be given this award, but the real heroes are the Tuam babies and the survivors.
‘I am dedicating the award to the memory of the Tuam babies and all the children who have died in the care of the State and religious orders.’
Ms O’Reilly is an Irish Daily Mail journalist, documentary maker and author of My Name is Bridget, The Untold Story of Bridget Dolan and the Tuam Mother and Baby Home. Ms Corrigan’s mother Bridget Dolan and brothers John and William were in the home.
The book pieces together the story of Ms Corrigan’s mother who entered The Tuam Mother and Baby Home, alone and eight months pregnant, in 1946.
Ms O’Reilly and Ms Corrigan join a distinguished list of Gold Medal winners, including Helen Mirren and Professor Brian Cox.