🚨We've just published an Interim Guide to help people navigate the new system. (Thanks so much as always to @loughlin who teamed up with us to make this happen!).

RT @ctcantwell: This is the corner of All Saints Cemetary #CarrsHill where experts believe #Bessboro children that died in St Finbarr’s hos….

3) These legislative proposals (and those that would follow) presume that adopted people are needy stalkers and that mothers are closeted and terrified that their daughter or son will doorstep them. For more ℹ️ see:.

2) The bill proposed a contact veto mechanism where parents could veto contact from their adult children. Adopted people in breach of that veto by simply contacting their mother or father would have faced a fine or imprisonment.

1) I see that Mary Hanafin is considering a run for the Áras. A reminder that in 2001 MH tried to bring in legislation that would have seen adopted people fined or imprisoned for the ‘crime’ of contacting their mothers. See (2) for details.

See this Clann submission for a critique of the State’s Action Plan 👇.

6) For the above reasons I’d encourage people to continue to engage with the Special Advocate’s Office to ensure that ongoing issues will continue to be raised.

5) The prominence of affected people’s testimonies in the report speaks in volumes, as does the breadth of the issues covered. Does it address absolutely everything? No. But it’s pretty close & in my view, a damning indictment of the State’s response to these abuses.

4) Finally, I’d encourage everyone to read the Special Advocate’s annual report: . I had huge concerns about how this role was set up but Patricia & her colleagues in the SA’s office have been fantastic over the past year.

3) Second, govt has announced that affected people can deposit their testimonies, papers & artefacts with the National Archives & the National Museum. I can’t overstate how important this is (🚨& I hope we don’t have a fight on our hands to ensure that this process is inclusive)

2) How the appointment process will work remains to be seen but for now I am reading this as a positive step in the right direction. (NB affected people remain unrepresented on several other boards & committees that impact their lives.).

1) 🚨Today we’ve had 3 significant developments in the area of institutional & forced family separation abuses. First, our calls for representation of affected people on the National Centre for Research & Remembrance Steering Committee (& others) have finally been heard.

5) JFMR's submission also highlights:. 🚨The State's failure to:. ❌deliver the full range of healthcare to survivors as promised in the Quirke Report and as accepted by govt.❌fully implement the redress scheme as promised in the Quirke Report and as accepted by govt.

4) JFMR's submission is available here: It highlights:. 🚨The absence of independent & thorough investigations into:. ❌ Magdalene Laundry abuses.❌ the exhumation of 155 women from High Park.

3) Clann's submission also highlights:. 🚨The absence of:. ❌full, unconditional access to all records.❌inquests into unexplained & undocumented deaths.❌representation of affected people on steering groups governing matters that concern them.

2) Clann's submission is available here: It highlights:. 🚨The exclusion of thousands of affected people from:. ❌redress .❌access to records.❌memorialisation.

1) Thank you to the @LLMCLANN students for representing @clann_project & @maglaundries at the CEDAW NGO oral presentations in Geneva today. You can tune in between 2-3pm (Irish time) here:

If records have been redacted or withheld from you under the BirthInfo system, see our FAQs at the following link for guidance on how to challenge this: .

When the #BirthInfo legislation was going through the Oireachtas @Kathleensf1 was a formidable ally & a wonderful support at a time when we felt utterly powerless. I’m so glad she got the justice she deserves & blown away by her bravery in speaking out in solidarity with others.

RT @Colmogorman: Bishop Brendan Comiskey has died. He was appointed Bishop of Ferns in 1984. He resigned on 1 April 2002, 2 weeks after my….

ℹ️ There are many myths & misconceptions surrounding adoption, the Mother & Baby Homes & related abuses. In addition to setting out the State’s discriminatory responses to these issues, the below submission challenges false (State driven) narratives in this area.