It’s a tragedy that still shakes Ireland today. It is estimated that some 56,000 women had their children taken away from them by the Irish Catholic Church between 1946 and 1969, to be put up for adoption. A phenomenon that has created a real malaise in the country… and one that is still very much alive in people’s minds.
A look back at a tragic episode in Irish history… revealed in a chilling report by the Irish government in 2021…
A Celtic cross – Neil Tackaberry – cc
Ireland. In the early 1940s.
In those days, the Irish Catholic Church had a profound influence on people’s daily lives. Its hold on Irish society was almost total: it dictated Irish mores, and was involved in education, healthcare and even politics.
Priests and nuns were respected and listened to. As authority figures in towns and villages alike, they constantly taught and educated their followers in conservative, traditional values, touching every aspect of life, from personal morality to community life…
In those days, the church was as respected as it was frightening. It has to be said that her power was immense: her grip on Irish society was such that she could act freely against an individual if she deemed his behavior unacceptable.
She could thus excommunicate him, isolate him socially…
In other words, Ireland’s deeply religious population was accustomed to bowing down and obeying the dictates of the Church!
These dogmas were essentially based on respect for religious texts. It was all about moral rectitude, chastity and obedience. Divorce was forbidden (considered a mortal sin), and marriage was considered an inviolable sacrament.
Also, sexual relations outside marriage were strictly condemned, and unmarried pregnant women were stigmatized and socially excluded. Considered as girls with bad lives, they were seen as a disgrace not only to themselves, but also to their own families.
So, for many years, being a girl-mother in Ireland was considered a disgrace. It didn’t matter in what circumstances the girls became pregnant: whether the result of consensual intercourse or rape, they were immediately held responsible for their situation.
They were then forcibly placed by their families or the church in an Irish home for single mothers (also known as “Magdalene Convents”, or “Laundry Convents”).
It was here, in these parts, that they carried their babies to term, working for free to ensure their livelihood, washing clothes or scrubbing the floor… Eventually, they would give birth… only to have their child taken away from them against their will, for adoption.
A practice that took place without their consent, at the decision of their families or the church itself…
Tuam’s children
When we talk about forced adoptions in Ireland, the unease is always palpable. In a report commissioned by the Irish government in 2021, it was estimated that over 56,000 girls had been deprived of their children by Catholic institutions.
These children were put up for adoption in the weeks following their birth, while the most fragile were abandoned in orphanages where living conditions were appalling (many suffered maltreatment, malnutrition, etc.). and even died in these establishments (see the Tuam Orphanage Scandal).
The study commissioned by the government revealed just how well-oiled, cruel and implacable the adoption system can be.
It turned out that these forced adoptions were above all an extremely lucrative system for the church, which pocketed a sum for each child adopted… Adoptive families were able to pay large sums of money to obtain a child…
Enough for the church to rake in considerable sums!
However, it is difficult for investigators to accurately estimate the number of children involved in these adoptions…
It is believed that the church covered up its operations by manipulating (and falsifying) birth and death certificates between 1946 and 1969, so that many Irish children grew up believing that their adoptive parents were their biological parents… when in fact they came straight out of these homes for unwed mothers!
Worse still, the church even produced death certificates for children who, although very much alive, had simply been given up for adoption to American, English and other families!
It’s enough to muddy the waters, and create chaos in Irish society… Many mother-daughters, for example, have lived with the conviction that their child was dead… even though they were living in a family with adoptive parents.
And some children have only belatedly learned of their “adopted” status, leaving them almost blind to their origins.
The consequences were devastating for the country: not only did the Catholic Church weaken its relationship with the Irish population, it also caused distress for thousands of mothers and children who were separated without their consent.
Today, there are still many children who, despite being over 60, are still searching for their origins. Many are still fighting to have their ordeal recognized… and to identify their biological mother.
Some are even demanding compensation from the church and seeking justice through class actions. It is estimated that some children who have spent more than 6 months in these orphanages could receive up to €40,000 in compensation…
Philomena – Stephen Frears
A film has been dedicated to this tragedy, to denounce these non-consensual adoptions.
Shot in 2013, and directed by Steve Coogan, it stars actress Judi Dench, who decides to find her son, fifty years after being forced to abandon him by her Irish convents…
The film, entitled “Philomena”, met with considerable response in Ireland and across the Atlantic. It created a stir among the audience, shedding light on a subject that had hitherto been taboo in Ireland.
The scandal of forced adoptions is a taboo subject in Ireland. It brings Ireland face to face with its contradictions, between its past silence and its present need to demand justice. It also demonstrates the religious blindness of the time, with all its excesses.
A sensitive subject, which has greatly weakened the Irish people’s relationship with the church and the Catholic faith… without breaking it.
A subject to be avoided if you’re traveling in Ireland… unless an Irishman invites you into the discussion.
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