Introduction
The plight of unmarried mothers and their children in past decades has increasingly become a matter of public concern across Ireland. The discovery of mass, undocumented graves in Tuam, Co Galway led to the Mother & Baby Homes Commission of Investigation being set up in 2015 and culminated with a final report published on 12 January, 2021.
Whilst the report has faced criticism from some quarters owing to its length (3,000 pages), legalistic tone and various limitations and oversights, it has still raised a number of important issues for those who were a resident or born into one of these institutions.
As we all await the publication of the Government’s approach to a possible Redress scheme, we have created this section on our website in an attempt to highlight some of the important issues and to share new information as it arises.
Having acted in over 500 cases during the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme and Magdalen Laundries Scheme, we understand the complex issues at hand and the suffering, often in silence, that residents have endured over many years. We also know that many victims will have a number of questions they want answers to and to understand the various options available to them.