UK Born to Irish Mothers but Adopted in Ireland

bessboroughboy

It seems that a significant number of babies born to Irish Mothers in the UK were repatriated for adoption.

I didn't know very much about the practice until Kathy (on another thread) made me aware of an address in London.

An institution which seems to have several different titles but usually beginning with St. Pelagia's was based at 34 Highgate West Hill in London and it was run by the same order of nuns as was Bessborough in Cork.

St. Anne's Adoption Society in Cork appears to have organised the repatriations from UK to Ireland.

Here's a link to some requests/comments from people who passed through St. Pelagia's -

http://www.knowhere.co.uk/Highgate/Greater-London/London-and-inside-M25/messages

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BottleOfSmoke

That's good info, bessboroughboy. The "Crusade of Rescue" was another agency in England with ties to Ireland.

In my own records, when my birth mother originally intended to go to a home in England, she was given their name by the CPRSI adoption agency in Dublin (Catholic Protection and Rescue Society of Ireland).

A bit of google searching tells me that the Crusade of Rescue had a history of sending the women back to Ireland, I found one account where the woman was sent on a boat to Ireland, and on to Bessborough.

bessboroughboy

BottleOfSmoke wrote: »

That's good info, bessboroughboy. The "Crusade of Rescue" was another agency in England with ties to Ireland.

In my own records, when my birth mother originally intended to go to a home in England, she was given their name by the CPRSI adoption agency in Dublin (Catholic Protection and Rescue Society of Ireland).

A bit of google searching tells me that the Crusade of Rescue had a history of sending the women back to Ireland, I found one account where the woman was sent on a boat to Ireland, and on to Bessborough.

Thanks BottleOfSmoke,

I've been reading your link - very interesting!

These people wore the appropriate garb and had the appropriate facial expression, the appropriate gait and the appropriate tone of voice. However, they had a Catherine Wheel for a moral compass.

bessboroughboy

bessboroughboy wrote: »

These people wore the appropriate garb and had the appropriate facial expression, the appropriate gait and the appropriate tone of voice. However, they had a Catherine Wheel for a moral compass.

I realise that's quite a cynical comment but the mindset I'm referring to hasn't gone away just yet.

Earlier this year, I emailed a parish in Cork to enquire about Baptismal records and I'm still awaiting a reply.

I expect they're busy following mystical instructions of a divine nature, know only to them.

If these people can't start working for the common good then they need to be moved along to somewhere where they can't do any more harm.

Hermy

bessboroughboy wrote: »

I realise that's quite a cynical comment but the mindset I'm referring to hasn't gone away just yet.

It's not cynical - it's just the fact of the matter.