The lost generation of mother and baby homes

Abstract

In the wake of the Ryan and Murphy report, many previously untold stories about life in Ireland have got told. The telling of these stories has brought great relief to many but it has also presented difficulties. Telling secrets can be difficult but can also allow us to move. Holding secrets can give us a breathing space, can make other things possible but the holding can also come at a great cost. The time has now come for some of the 'secrets' in terms of women's experiences of mother and baby homes and the adoption of children from Ireland to America to be told.