‘We were both overwhelmed and underwhelmed by the report’
THE PUBLICATION of the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes has been described as both ‘overwhelming and underwhelming’ by the daughter of one of the women at the forefront of campaigning for the victims of such facilities.
Catherine Corless, from Galway, was pivotal in uncovering the mass grave in Tuam, at the Bon Secours home.
In national media she said the report was biased in favour of religious organisations and her daughter, Adrienne, who lives in Davidstown, Enniscorthy, agreed with those sentiments when she spoke to this newspaper about the report.
‘To be honest we were both overwhelmed and underwhelmed by the report,’ she said.
‘I also think there is a bit of confusion because it’s a welcome development but it doesn’t go near far enough,’ she added.
The report was published on January 12, and Adrienne said it was very emotional, momentous day but she also said the entire journey to get the report published was a roller-coaster ride of emotions.
‘A lot of survivors are quite disappointed with it to be honest,’ said Adrienne.
‘There are a lot of platitudes in it that we already knew and to be honest there are also elements to it that just don’t go near far enough,’ he added.
Adrienne also criticised some of the language used in the report and highlighted references to women being ‘expectant’ rather than using the word ‘pregnant’.
The aspect of forced adoptions is something that Adrienne feels was not addressed at all properly in the report.
While welcoming the Taoiseach’s address on the matter she said comments that ‘all of society was implicated’ was not fully accurate because it didn’t acknowledge the hierarchy of the priests, nuns and Government who were involved.
Adrienne also said there was a lot of information omitted from the report including accounts of what individual people went through such as the case of one girl in Tuam who at seven months pregnant had to leave her home after the priest called to the door.
‘That wasn’t highlighted in the report,’ she said.
‘Everyone was to blame but no-one took the blame,’ she added.
Adrienne said the overall report didn’t go far enough in acknowledging what was done and how it was done.
‘We feel like it was fobbing off what happened to some degree,’ she said.
‘I think there should have been more exploration of how it happened and how it was done,’ she added.
Adrienne then commented that children died of marasmus which is undernourishment.
‘Some of them died of starvation; that’s what it was,’ she said.
‘There was a dying room and they didn’t examine that from what I could see.’
‘We have the report but we have a lot more work to do,’ she added.
However, she did say the apology from the Bon Secours order was surprising.
‘We didn’t expect the apology from the Bon Secours,’ she said, before highlighting that was something her mother had sought for many years.
The fact it took so long for the report to be compiled and the amount of lobbying that had to be done before the matter was examined is indicative of State collusion in attempting to cover up what occurred in the homes.
While the publication of the report is a welcome development Adrienne pointed out that a lot of work still has to be done before the full and complete truth of what went on is made public. ‘That’s why it was underwhelming,’ she said. ‘It’s good that the report is here but it just doesn’t go far enough,’ she said.
For some people the Bon Secours apology rings hollow in view of the fact the order denied there were any baby graves at the home in Tuam when that proved not to be case.
‘They [initially] said there were no graves but that wasn’t true so it was good to get the apology,’ said Adrienne.
She also said the report didn’t examine the issue of illegal adoptions in an adequate manner.
For Adrienne, her mam and other people who survived the ordeal of Mother and Baby homes the next phase of their campaign for justice is just beginning.
Adrienne said the apology from the Archbishop of Tuam was also welcome but said the publication of the report has caused a domino effect.
She said there is a campaign focus to enable people who were adopted have access to their birth certificates.
She also said the overall report is a start and a step in the right direction but it’s not meticulous enough and a lot of work still has to be done before full accountability and justice is done for those who suffered in the homes.