Councillor seeks support from State for care home ‘survivors’
By Laura Lyne
A LOCAL councillor who spent his childhood in the Irish care system is using his story to highlight the “stigma and pain” that many single mothers and their children faced and to call on the government to support the survivors of mother and baby homes and the Magdelene Laundries.
Independent councillor Francis Timmons is calling on South Dublin County Council to push the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Dr James Reilly into providing support for survivors, including free legal advice for those attending the confidential committee and that they can bring a neutral observer of their choosing to the meeting.
Cllr Timmons is also asking that redress and compensation for those affected be looked at, an apology from church and state be issued to all survivors, the terms of reference be changed to include all survivors of the “forced separation of single mothers and their children”.
He is also asking that a Garden of Remembrance be developed by both the church and state to recognise the survivors.
Cllr Timmons spent his childhood in the Irish care system and was only granted limited contact with his mother, Mary Timmons, during his time there.
While trying to find information about his life, Cllr Timmons was told by The Sisters of Charity that his records were destroyed by a fire – claims he proved were untrue when he found his records through an alternative avenue.
Speaking to The Echo, Cllr Timmons said: “I now have receipts, letters and a record of my life – it’s a shock when you open a parcel and see your life contained inside a parcel.
“Most people would not have such details about their childhood, every letter and every receipt puts a piece of my life together.
“The state have been very good at blaming the Church and the Church has been very good at blaming the State but Ireland cannot move on and be serious about child protection until it properly deals with issues from the past and learns from them.
“They need to think of the horrendous pain and hurt that has been caused to people. I’ve been lucky enough to have good support from the people around me, but there are people in their 70s and 80s who are getting older and need support.
“For many people there has been a big stigma around talking about it. These care homes were not very nice places to live, and some quite horrific things happened in them and they need to be highlighted.
“There were no proper checks, children were just given to somebody who was willing to take them in and “illegitimate” children were used by homes and by the State to do with what they like.
Cllr Timmons motion will be presented at the October meeting of South Dublin County Council, and he is calling on his fellow councillors to support it.
He said:”I’ve been out at the Dáil and at marches and there have been a few TDs that have been very supportive, but many people will not get closure until there has been a proper apology and they get to tell their story.
“People who were in this situation, who worked in the Magdalene Laundries and who were in care, are entitled to some type of compensation and proper acknowledgment from the church and state. You don’t get those times back.
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