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Niall Carson/PA

Philomena Lee to tell world conference about her forced adoption in Ireland

A major international conference in Cork today will hear from a number of speakers about adoption law.

IRISH WOMAN PHILOMENA LEE will today give a key-note speech at a major international conference on adoption law in Cork.

The woman’s story of forced adoption inspired the Oscar-nominated film Philomenia. Lee is a former resident of a mother-and-baby home where her baby boy was taken from her and adopted by an American couple.

The boy, then known as Anthony, became Michael Hess, senior counsel under the  Reagan and Bush administrations. He had died of AIDS in 1995, before his biological mother could find him.

However it emerged that he had travelled to Ireland a number of times trying to find her and had hit a brick wall with the sisters at the home, as had Lee when she tried to get information from them.

The two day conference at University College Cork (UCC) today is entitled ‘Redefining adoption in a new era: Opportunities and challenges for law and practice’ and will hear from intenational speakers from a number of different disciplines.

For her part, Lee will share her experience of forced adoption, appearing alongside her daughter Jane Libberton.

The conference today will also focus on ongoing reform to abortion law and the debate around children’s rights.

Read: Philomena Lee to speak about her experience of forced adoption in Ireland>

Read: ‘A truly remarkable woman’: Philomena a ‘catalyst’ for increase in adoption queries>

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60 Comments
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    Mute Stephen Doyle
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 10:55 AM

    And here’s me thinking that email offering me $26,000,000 was fake

    161
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    Mute Hypernova
    Favourite Hypernova
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:57 AM

    In 1950,Nigeria had a population of 33 million.In 2100,the UN estimates their population at somewhere between 500 million – 1 billion.From 2006 up to this year,their population grew a staggering 42 million to 182 million people.There is a lot of extra mouths to be feeding annually.

    76
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    Mute Michael Evans
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 12:11 PM

    Sounds like it’s a condom factory they need!

    218
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    Mute HUMANFROMPLANETEARTH
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 2:37 PM

    Drinking another animals milk has little nutritional benifit.
    Cows milk is for calves.

    14
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    Mute HUMANFROMPLANETEARTH
    Favourite HUMANFROMPLANETEARTH
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 2:43 PM

    Hopefully the Nigerian people will give these useless powders the elbow.
    They are only relatively new in the western world, a farce form the feminist propaganda era, when “Doctors Smoked Camel”
    https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/89/09/02/89090293865260abb7284c730f3cd85b.jpg
    https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/65/a7/42/65a74232f6e985875ad444e97e34eda4.jpg

    7
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    Mute Not_Rod_Ten©
    Favourite Not_Rod_Ten©
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:01 AM

    Who’s taking the bloody horse to Lagos

    91
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    Mute Dev Boyjonauth
    Favourite Dev Boyjonauth
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:01 AM

    Tralee Co.Kerry an unemployment blackspot,let’s build a factory in Nigeria!

    90
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    Mute Armin Tamzarian
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:11 AM

    Why would it be packaged in Ireland, when its going to be sold in Africa?

    48
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    Mute Arma Geddon
    Favourite Arma Geddon
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:21 AM

    The Kerry Group has always been a lot more interested in its shareholders than its employees, Kerry, or Ireland.

    41
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    Mute David Murphey
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:21 AM

    Dev, is there a connection between Tralee and Ornua?

    10
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    Mute pokethebear
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:27 AM

    Kerry Group have nothing to do with Ornua. Tralee has no connection to Ornua. Why drive yourself out of the market by packaging in Ireland and incurring cost. Uninformed comment is worse than no comment.

    38
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    Mute Dev Boyjonauth
    Favourite Dev Boyjonauth
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:33 AM

    No, as far as I’m aware.Kerry Group HQ is in Tralee.They should have some social/corporate responsibility and give more jobs to Kerry.

    14
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    Mute Armin Tamzarian
    Favourite Armin Tamzarian
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:39 AM

    Arma, Kerygold is a public listed company, so its answerable to its shareholders, who invested money into the company, and not to people of Kerry or Ireland. Same way as Apple, Intel, Facebook, Ebay, Paypal, Dell are answerable to their share holders, or people in their native country of the United States.
    Building this packaging factory in Africa makes economic sense. If the products is going to be packaged in Ireland, then you have extra shipping weight, which will increase your shipping costs, making your product more expensive, and less competitive on the shelf. That competitive edge may allow Kerrygold to expand, and increase production in Ireland, where the milk powder comes from. if the packaging was done in Ireland,What happens if the packaging gets damaged in transit? Do they dump it, or send it back to Ireland to be repackaged?

    28
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
    Favourite Neal Ireland Hello
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:41 AM

    Well then do something to mark Tralee more attractive to employers, rather than just giving out about the employers.

    20
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    Mute Adrian™
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:42 AM

    Dev kerrygold is produced by ornua, this article has nothing to do with Kerry group.

    25
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
    Favourite Neal Ireland Hello
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:42 AM

    *make

    3
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    Mute TheJeff
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 12:04 PM

    Dev Boyjonauth

    Look at a map long long way expensive & I assume cold storage way to Nigeria

    10
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    Mute mcgoo
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 12:21 PM

    The Kerrygold brand and the Kerry group have no relationship to each other

    26
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    Mute Proinsias Ó Foghlú
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 12:25 PM

    Dev Kerrygold and Kerry Group are two separate companies.

    BTW In case you did not know Kerry Group has plants all over the world such Ireland, UK, USA, Brazil, Europe, Turkey, Singapore etc.

    18
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    Mute Arma Geddon
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 1:35 PM

    Armin __ I know that large multi-nationals couldn’t give a toss about the countries where they kick-started their operations, and in the case of the Kerry Group, they’ve long since forgotten that if it weren’t for the original Kerry Co-op members deciding to change the co-op status, there wouldn’t be a Kerry Group. The Kerry farmers probably couldn’t care less either, because their original shares are worth a considerable mint.

    2
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    Mute brian magee
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 2:24 PM

    Dev,

    import or raw materials to make good locally, reduces the amount of excise and duty payable on importing finished goods

    2
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    Mute Arma Geddon
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 4:05 PM

    Anyhow, it’s an expensive business setting up a factory in Nigeria, having to bribe everyone with a pulse to make it happen. A fella who set up a factory there some years ago, was telling me that he even had to pay people at the docks when machinery was arriving, and that it would be sitting there until a wad of cash was handed over to someone with the power to release it.

    6
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    Mute Sean Kelly
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 10:35 AM

    The Nigerians, a great bunch of lads ted!

    82
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    Mute Eddie Munster
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 10:46 AM

    All they need now is jam

    37
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    Mute Armin Tamzarian
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 12:31 PM

    Shur what would I know, I’m from Donegal.

    31
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    Mute Markonline
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 10:38 AM

    Sad that they are trying to convert a breast feeding continent to a bottle feeding one similar to this country.

    45
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    Mute Ariana
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 10:56 AM

    It’s not baby formula though.

    63
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    Mute Robert Conneely
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:12 AM

    Exactly, refrigerators aren’t widespread in Africa so powdered milk is popular there.

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    Mute Markonline
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:13 AM

    True, but traditional cows milk is perfectly acceptable from 12 months and on average Nigerians breast feed for 18 months. Also baby formula contains powdered milk, the picture in article is misleading as to the product range.

    10
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    Mute Oisin O'Riordan
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:24 AM

    Ye becsuse the continent is a booming beacon of success thanks to all their breastfeeding.

    26
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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:26 AM

    ?

    3
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    Mute Markonline
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:32 AM

    Look I know it’s a touchy subject for many as they feel they’re being judged but I doubt the kerrygolds marketing/financial board gives two hoots so long as its profitable like many other corporations. Infant formula is a huge money spinner and the success of its market nation is irrelevant to to them.

    12
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    Mute Gene Parmesan
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:40 AM

    Swing and a miss Mark….that is not baby formula. Powered milk and baby formula are actually different you may be surprised to learn

    23
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:46 AM

    How dare they give African women the same choices that those in the first world have. Is nothing sacred?

    19
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    Mute Markonline
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:48 AM

    Swing and miss to you gene, you might be surprised to learn https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powdered_milk

    3
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    Mute Gene Parmesan
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 12:38 PM

    Mark….so a single ingredient equates to the sum of ingredients I.e., the final product??

    12
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    Mute Markonline
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 2:49 PM

    The article is not on about a single product, it says “powdered milk products”. So I fail to see where you are trying to go with this line of argument.

    1
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    Mute EmmaQ@gmail.com
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:23 AM

    Same reason Guinness is brewed in Nigeria..
    If you want access to the Nigerian Market you have to Employ locals/ Source your materials and make your product there.
    Good in theory, but by the end of the process only the wrapping is the same.

    40
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    Mute Darren O Siadhail
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 8:28 PM

    The biggest Guinness brewery in the world is in Nigeria. They believe it is a Nigerian drink. I kid you not!

    10
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    Mute Cal Cryton
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:29 AM

    Good move. The UN population projections for Nigeria are eye-opening. Their population will go from 180 million now to 650 million by the year 2100. That’s a lot of milk we can export.

    37
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    Mute Patrick J O Shea
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:34 AM

    I can’t believe it’s not milk.

    26
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    Mute David Murphey
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:26 AM

    Will Ornua disclose the salaries of their senior management and CEO? You can bet they won’t, because they’re HUGE! If you thought the salaries in the IFA were bad…..

    Ornua is owned by farmers in the same way as the IFA, so farmers have a right to know.

    “We work hard to deliver a strong and sustainable return to the Irish dairy farmer.” that’s a laugh!!

    “As a co-operative, owned by Ireland’s dairy processors, and in turn by Ireland’s dairy farmers, Ornua’s core aim is to deliver a sustainable, high return for the Irish dairy farmer.” Rubbish. They are only interested n paying themselves as much as they can get away with.

    http://www.ornua.com

    21
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    Mute HUMANFROMPLANETEARTH
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 2:47 PM

    Pet lovers would never deny their pet milk from it’s mother’s breast.
    Why do humans?

    8
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    Mute Fiona McCormack
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 7:05 PM

    That’s true Human, but I still wouldn’t fancy it on my cornflakes!

    5
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    Mute HUMANFROMPLANETEARTH
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 10:40 PM

    I wouldn’t mind trying a drop.
    As long at was from a clean healthy Lass though.
    Couldn’t do with a gob full of Toxic Fake Tan, Aerosols, Make Up, Contraception Pills/Medication, Botox, Silicone, Processed Food, Pesticides, Booze and Fags etc.

    2
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    Mute ManUMan
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 10:36 AM

    Ah.. They still won’t have the crusty turnover to put it on!

    7
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    Mute Colm Connolly
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 11:17 AM

    Nothing like a bit of crusty bread to spread your powered milk on

    21
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    Mute JustMade Ireland
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    Dec 2nd 2015, 1:18 PM

    If Ireland was not part of the EU the amount of food deals we could of did Africa , my partners family are small diary farmers they had opportunity to send milk to Southern Africa but cause of EU quotes and export/import controls could not do.

    Even with some of our crops have better nutrients. And African countries wanted them to,

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/ask-a-health-expert/yam-vs-sweet-potato-which-ones-healthier-and-whats-the-difference/article4102306/

    4
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