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Updated 9.40pm
THE CHILDREN’S MINISTER has said he is anxious that the Bethany Home in Rathgar is included as part of the Commission of Investigation into mother and baby homes in Ireland.
Charlie Flanagan said today that he was conscious of the grievances felt by those connected to the Bethany Home, a protestant-run home on Dublin’s Orwell Road, where young unmarried mothers lived with their young children.
Many of the children were subsequently adopted, and survivors say they suffered neglect as children. Over 200 children died while in the care of Bethany Home. A monument to them was recently unveiled.
“I am conscious of grievance on the part of people who were directly associated with Behtany Homes and I am anxious that the scope of the inquiry would be beyond Tuam and County Galway. I would include all mother and baby homes with specific reference to the Bethany,” Flanagan said today.
The Taoiseach also confirmed that the Bethany Home would be included in the new probe.The former residents of the home were not including in the Government’ redress scheme for resident of the Magdalene Laundries, and a number of groups had been calling for the institution to be investigated.
Answering a question from Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, the Taoiseach said:
It’s one of a significant number of mother-and-baby homes that must be investigated.
Flanagan was speaking at a press briefing after he earlier announced that Commission of Investigation would examine all practices, procedures and behaviours in mother and baby homes throughout the State in the wake of the recent Tuam babies scandal.
He said he hoped that the Commission would be established before the summer recess and would be informed by the current interdepartmental review being carried out across a number of government offices.
This is expected to report by the end of the month.
Flangan said he expects cooperation from all interested parties and he also acknowledged the role of Tuam historian Catherine Corless in highlighting the deaths of 796 babies at a home in the Galway town.
He said that getting widespread cooperation from all interested parties and organisations would ensure “that at last, for the first time, we will get to the truth of this very dark period in our history.
Flanagan said it would be “difficult to put detailed parameters on a time frame” for the commission to report but said he was “anxious” its work begin before the summer recess.
Flanagan said: “It is absolutely essential that that story be told difficult and traumatic as though that is, especially for the mothers and former babies many of whom are now adults.”
He added: “No government has taken on this task but this government will not shirk its responsibility in discovering the truth, difficult and all as that might be.”
Flanagan said that any criminal investigation is “entirely a matter for An Garda Siochána” and said it was “far too early” to talk about the possibility of compensation for those affected.
Sinn Féin motion
In the Dáil this evening, Sinn Féin Health and Children spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD called for any inquiry into mother and baby homes to cover all such homes and all aspects of the treatment of women and children, including high mortality rates and burial practices.
He proposed a motion from Sinn Féin on the issue this evening, saying the party did so “once it became clear that an inquiry was absolutely necessary”.
He said the latest revelations from Tuam “have highlighted more horrifying aspects of the regimes in these mother and baby homes and they demand immediate action to uncover the full truth”.
Also speaking in the Dáil, Minister Flanagan said that “insensitive language has been used in the rush to cast blame”, and he appealed to people within and outside Leinster House to be “sensitive in their choice of language” when referring to the homes.
He said that he wanted to acknowledge “the reality that Irish society as a whole colluded in maintaining the regime of mother and baby homes”.
“Questions remain unanswered about the nature of adoptions and vaccine trial,” he noted.
- Additional reporting Aoife Barry
Ray D’arcy 2nd from the bottom ? And what was his starting salary with RTE…… 200K?? Hardly money well spent.
Well done Anton Savage on Today FM … ahead of Ray in listenership ….after taking over his seat on a slightly lower,salary I’m sure!
Ray D’arcy is full of his own self importance. I thought we were rid of him when Enda Kenny was elected Taoiseach. That was the only reason I voted for Fine Gael. Ray, like the good politician he is, was just talking rubbish and looking for attention.
He’s part of the RTE elite…Miriam Callaghan etc….if they were that good they should go to UK.
Ah now, leave Miriam out of this. Miriam works her socks off. Not bad to look at either. Fantastic chest.
After all these years I still cannot explain the popularity of Joe Duffy…..
People love a medium to moan, his voice encourages it. Perfect marketing in Ireland.
A bit like the journal
Classic hits 4fm
Boom! You said it Helen
I’m liking Sean Moncrief more and more these days. It’s most still against my will. Perhaps it’s Stockholm syndrome having being captive in the car listening to him so much. Anyway in general I much rather radio. It allows me to do other things whilst being entertained or informed.
there a shower of overpaid morons in RTE how they can justify their wages is crazy that’s why the licence is so high ,you know if they shut down the station most of us would be €160 a year better off and we still would not be at a loss for entertainment
when u have a never ending budget u can hire whoever u like to make ratings .
What the JNLR don’t tell us is how much time we are spending listening to radio….
National Radio is a straight choice between either Communicorp or RTE….either way the listener doesn’t benefit, from Current Affairs programs that is…
We need new media as much as we need a new political infrastructure!!!
JNLR DOES actually tell us how much time we spend listening to radio – around 4 hours a day.
I ONLY listen to Radio Nova – although NOT a National Radio Station – at least I get decent music without the CRAP the Biggie Boyos dish out to an unsuspecting National populace. AND I don’t have to listen to inane DJs pretending to understand politics or some pseudo-nationalistic beliefs …
an insult to the real NOVA 87 FM AND 819 AM!
88
Radio Nova seem to have a playlist of 100 songs on a loop.
“..Radio Nova…playing all over Dublin…. Nowwwwww ….”
Great station, great memories
Chris Carey RIP
BBC RADIO 2 via tunein radio app
They say in the heading that size matters in radio land what do they mean big smile or big tits
i don’t get ray darcy on rte 1 i get the impression that he thinks he just has to turnup
What big eyes you have Miriam. …..lol
Any chance of getting that moron Marty Whelan off Lyric FM? It’s supposed to be a “classical music” station not “Housewives’ Choice”!
Nova with pat Courtney. He’s brilliant!!!
Way to ignore all the regional and local radio stations – in many areas, they easily have 40-66% of the Audience share in the places they broadcast to. But yet none of them merit any praise?
talksport via tunein radio for me.
Where’s Stevo from Sunshine Radio gone ?
Why don’t they contact me when they do theses so called survey s and I will b able to tel them why I don’t listen to RTE radio I prefer independent radio from round d country coz it gives me local stories in Dublin especially radio Kerry from 9am each morning
Absolute Radio
Marty Whelan is pure genius. So happy he’s on Lyric in the morning. There is no competitor to him to my mind. Lyric overall is a great station, John Kelly Ensemble, Jazz, Movies and Musicals, Niall Carroll etc., etc. a great mix. I predict Lyric’s star will continue to rise into the future. Its a bit undiscovered maybe. Marty is introducing people more and more to it.
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