Illegal adoptions

Selandia · 03-08-2012 11:13pm #1

My birth mother had a baby before marriage in the mid 1940's. She told me very little about it other than she was sent from a country town to Dublin to a Mother and Baby Home in Morehampton Road. Her baby was illegally handed over at birth to a childless couple. He was delivered by an obstetrician who worked at the Rotunda at the time. I know it's a long shot, but would anyone know anything about this Home?

biddybops · 05-08-2012 3:51pm

Selandia wrote: »

My birth mother had a baby before marriage in the mid 1940's. She told me very little about it other than she was sent from a country town to Dublin to a Mother and Baby Home in Morehampton Road. Her baby was illegally handed over at birth to a childless couple. He was delivered by an obstetrician who worked at the Rotunda at the time. I know it's a long shot, but would anyone know anything about this Home?

Hi selandia,
Afraid I have very little knowledge about morehampton rd. all I do remember is from the early eighties. Morehampton rd was a mother and baby home run by the sisters of mercy or charity.
In the eighties girls were then sent to Belmont ave, I think this was also run by the same order. Morehampton was then a retirement home.
It's next to impossible to get any information about these homes. You can lodge a foi application but I don't know if they will tell you anything as it was your mum that was there.
You can try an application for adoption reunion and see if you can find out that way, as it is your sibling that you want to contact they will have to deal with you.
I am not sure when adoption was legalised in Ireland but if you try the legal forum they might tell you and might offer some assistance in a non legal way( do not ask for legal advise, thread will be shut straight away) and wait till a few posters are online and you will have a better chance of getting a helpful reply.
I'm sorry I can't be of more help but just keep trying.
And the best of luck.

Selandia · 05-08-2012 10:29pm

Thanks, Biddybops. I really would like to know more about this half sibling but don't know if he/she (though I have reason to believe it was a boy) would ever have found out if he was adopted. Wasn't that the thing with illegal adoptions? The child just got the parents surname and no one was ever the wiser.

If that's the case I haven't a hope of ever tracking him down.....

I'd appreciate if there's any one out there who knows they were adopted illegally in the 1940s/50's, if they'd share their experience of finding out/being told. Thanks.

biddybops · 05-08-2012 11:31pm

Selandia wrote: »

Thanks, Biddybops. I really would like to know more about this half sibling but don't know if he/she (though I have reason to believe it was a boy) would ever have found out if he was adopted. Wasn't that the thing with illegal adoptions? The child just got the parents surname and no one was ever the wiser.

If that's the case I haven't a hope of ever tracking him down.....

I'd appreciate if there's any one out there who knows they were adopted illegally in the 1940s/50's, if they'd share their experience of finding out/being told. Thanks.

Selandia, I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you. The biggest problem I think you have is making people admit that illegal adoptions take place.
Nobody will ever say that it happens because that will open a can of worms that the state don't want to deal with, if you read up on Franco and what he did this will give you some idea as to what you are dealing with.
You really need to contact adoption alliance or some other organisation that has experience with this and they can advise.
I really do wish you the best for your future and I'm sure your mum was a wonderful person who managed to bring up a very caring human being, regardless of what the state did to her.
Biddybops

kathy finn · 06-08-2012 4:18pm

hi legal adoption in ireland came in in 1952, so before that babies were fostered or boarded out. the sisters of charity did have a convent in morehampton road. maybe u should write to them...kathy

Selandia · 05-09-2012 10:32pm

Thank you, Kathy, I've been away for a few weeks and only saw your post now. Maybe I'll contact the Sisters of Charity as you suggest.....

toby17 · 18-09-2012 11:29pm

Hi Selinda was just wondering if you had any luck with your search. I have been looking for my fathers birth mother, the ony details we have is that she was from tipperary. My father was born in 1942 could this be what your looking for

Selandia · 22-09-2012 8:23am

Hi Toby 17, sorry, haven't looked at this thread for a while. No, my mother wasn't from Tipperary, I'm afraid, and it would have been around 1946/7 that she had the baby. I haven't done anything further about my search - not sure about stirring up hornet's nests for someone who might be completely unaware of his real parentage.

Anyway, best of luck to you

rinsjwind · 22-09-2012 10:20pm

Hi Sealandia

Are you sure there was no legal adoption? The 1953 adoption act allowed for the adoption of any child under 21 (yeah 21 yr olds were considerd children!). The adoption authority have a file on every lega; adoption and should be abl eto check that for you. If there was no formal adoption, or, even worse , the child was illegally registered as the birth child of the "adoptive" parents, its going to be very difficult if not impossible to find out what became of him.

I don't want to discourage you, and do keep trying, but as I have pointed out elsewhere on this board, the current legislation covering legal adoptions is grossly inadequate and the issue of informal adoptions/illegal birth registrations is a subject the politicians don't want to touch with a very long bargepole.

Good luck.
Rins

toby17 · 24-09-2012 9:57pm

hi Selandia, thanks for getting back to me and pity it wasn't what we were both looking for. If you do want to keep searching try the search and reunite team from Park House, they had my father's nurse out details you never know they may have some info for ya. I spoke to a very nice lady there (Helena) who gave me a few ideas. Here's the number if you do decide to go forward 01 8976855.

good luck to ya

Am I Desmond · 14-12-2015 5:12pm

Hi Selandia
Have you had any look with this?
I am searching for the birth mum of a friend who was born in Dublin in 1943. He thinks he was originally called Desmond Byrne born 23rd April 1943 (the Byrne bit is a little unsure as yet). He was adopted on 18th April 1943 from 28 Rathfarnham Road (a baby home) and this date and place is what is on his birth cert.

Wouldn't it be great if this was who you were also searching for!
Regards

Ancestry · 14-12-2015 9:55pm

hi selandia,
My relative was illegally handed over to a childless couple from a private nursing home in Dublin in 1948. I think the obstetrician was a doctor Morris.
I'm sure he worked in the rotunda aswell.
Get in touch if possible.
Kind regards

Illegal adoptions

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