How should I start my search?

LilyMarlene

Hello!

I'm new to all of this and was hoping that I could get some advice. I've decided to try and track down some information about my biological family and I want to know the best way to go about it.

I was born in 1976 in Mount Carmel in Dublin and my adoption was arranged through St. Patrick's Guild. I was in Temple Hill in Blackrock for three months before my parents brought me home. The only other information I have is the date of my baptism and that my birth mother was from the Midlands.

Should I start with St. Patrick's Guild ? What I've read about them so far has been less than positive! I was going to go to Mount Carmel and see how many girls were born on the same day as me and see where that leads me.

I was also wondering if I should register my details with the Adoption Authority? I've read conflicting stories about them.

Thanking you all in advance!

International Bowsider

Hello LilyMarlene

I too began my search recently, and was adopted through the St. Patrick's Guild. I also noted all the negative comments on this forum prior to my visit to the guild and attended a meeting with a degree of trepidation. It was all unfounded. Sr Theresa, with whom I met was very helpful and underatanding. Althought the information I received was scant, it has formed a basis for me to progress. It takes time for the Guild to process the inquiries (6 Months from first contact) but they are helpful and will guide you. Judge by your own experience....... talk to them.

I wish you the best with your search

Tunage

I'm in the same boat. Have just recently decided to start the search and have been quite taken aback by some of the comments about St. Patricks Guild. I was in Temple Hill and don't have very much information about my birth mother.

Would it be an idea to maybe to contact the St. Patrick's Guild at the address they have now on Merrion Road? It all seems sooooo long, drawn out and... scary tbh. :-/

LilyMarlene

Thanks for your replies, you guys. It's really nice to hear something positive about St. Patrick's Guild; they're getting a lot of bad press. I'm going to write to them (using registered post, as recommended) and ask for my non - identifying details and see where that takes me. It's good to know that this is a long process so I can prepare myself for the wait.

Tunage - I found a website that might be of interest to you. It's the Adoption Rights Alliance. They have handbooks that you can download to advise how best to search for your birth certificate. They're pretty down on St. Patrick's Guild as well but I'm trying to keep an open mind about them after hearing from International Bowsider.

Best of luck to both of you with your search! I'll let you know how I'm getting on and I'd love to hear how you guys get on too. It's very comforting to know that there's lots of us in the same boat.

The_Conductor

LilyMarlene - we have all the Original Adoption Ireland traceguides hosted here in this forum, link here. We also have the original trace database hosted by Adoption Ireland which has several thousand entries in it (if you're seeking information on it- please contact me directly).

With respect of St. Patrick's Guild (or indeed any other agency), they have proven to be economical with truth in the past, we are not denigrating any assistance they provide, simply advocating caution, and suggesting strongly that you corroborate any information supplied, non-identifying or otherwise, elsewhere, before assuming its true. While many of us have been spun quite remarkable fairy tales, its also fact that many of their records from years ago are factually inaccurate- both because some birthmothers sought to ensure their anonymity, but also because some of the people compiling records imagined they were working in everyone's best interests (obviously not) by ensuring a lack of a paper trail existed. Some agencies may be dispensing inaccurate information through no fault of current staff- you simply don't know.

Be careful. If you get good information- brilliant. If you don't- don't worry, there are a myriad of other avenues that can be explored.

Best wishes,

Shane

International Bowsider

Hi smccarrick

I have reached a stop in the tracing of my Birth Mother. I have a Name but I dont know where to turn next. I met with St Pats Guild and got the non ID info from them but now you have planted the seed of doubt in my mind. What are the "Myriad Of other Avenues" yiou mentioned ?

Thanks
IB

The_Conductor

Hi IB

Getting your non-identifying information is a good first step- quite often they include your mother's first name, and on occasion, the name she gave you- alongside some broad background information- which may or may not be accurate.What I'd suggest at this point- is use the traceguide to find your own birthcertificate- but don't despair if it doesn't match 100% the information provided by the non-identifying information.

When I mentioned a myriad of other avenues or courses of action open to you- its best to look at your search as a series of stepping stones, each new nugget of information unlocking new possibilities open to you.

For example-

When you find your birth cert, it will have your mother's maiden name on it.
You can leverage this to search through the marriage records- and if she got married, you'll find her married name, alongside the house they proposed to live in when married.
You can then leverage this to look at voter registers (available at any county library- or historic records, available in the Ilac library).
You could use your new found knowledge to seek out siblings- and possibly discover which of the local schools (or if rural perhaps there is only one) they attended.
You could then play detective and use the guise of organising a reunion or something similar to try to get them to either divulge a current address, or pass on a message- which could be worded in such a way as to be obvious to your birthmum who you are, but not to someone else reading it.

Or perhaps other pathways may open to you- retired postmen are mines of useful information, as are local churches, who will have records of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and if they are from the area, deaths- sometimes a local graveyard may unlock information for you.

Useful information can be found in the most surprising of places- and while some searches are easy, others may be difficult and indeed convoluted, and have paths that meander all over the place. You may have to investigate several possible matches- I've seen spreadsheets of several family trees that may or may not have been accurate- that were only narrowed down through further searching (and indeed using a go-between to ask questions locally).

The search guides detail how to find your own birthcertificate- this is only the first step in most journeys- some journeys are short and sweet with remarkable outcomes- other journeys may be tortuous and have bitter endings.

Don't make any assumptions- not all stories are fairytales, not all reunions work well, not all searches are successful, not all questions will be answered- and no two people will have identical experiences.

I really wish you the best of good luck- and if you need advice or guidance along the way- the good people here are more than happy to help.

Best wishes,

Shane

International Bowsider

Hi Shane
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond so comprehensively.
Turns out I already have my brith cert and My BM maiden name. And now you have clarified for me how I should try find a Marrage cert. this give me a good basis to proceed.

Best Regards and thanks again
IB

LilyMarlene

Hi Shane,

Thank you for your reply. You have pointed out so many avenues to explore;things I had never considered. It's wonderful to have someone to bounce these things off. Since I've started, I've met a few people who've had very positive experiences with St. Patrick's Guild, which has helped to balance out the negativity I've read.

sal61

Myself and my identical twin were born in St. Ritas nursing home Ranlagh Dublin in 1961. After numerous attempts for information we have drawn a blank. I was wondering if anyone has information that could help us in our search, ie. Perhaps anyone who worked in St. Ritas at this time or indeed anything else.
Thank you