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A review by sharonleavy
Bessborough: Three Women. Three Decades. Three Stories of Courage by Deirdre Finnerty
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
My final review for 2022 is Bessborough by Deirdre Finnerty.
This is non-fiction, and collects the stories of three women affected by their time at the Bessborough institution, or 'Mother and Baby Home' as it was called.
Joan, Terri, and Deirdre all have different stories, with different outcomes, but all three experiences began the same way - with a young woman finding out she was pregnant at a time when nothing caused more scandal in Holy Catholic Ireland than the notion of an unwed mother. Women were sent to these institutions, stripped of their identities, given false names, and put to work until they gave birth. In the majority of circumstances, the babies were taken away and adopted to families without the knowledge or consent of the mothers, who would then be sent back out into society with the shame and stigma of being 'one of those girls' hanging over them. They grieved for their children in silence, many still doing so.
This isn't the past - it's a very recent part of history that still affects thousands of people in Ireland (and further afield) today. Thanks to the tireless work of people like Catherine Corless, Dee Finnerty, Caelainn Hogan and others, we are slowly gathering more and more accounts from the women and children involved in one of the worst scandals this country has ever seen - one not only condoned by, but funded by, the State and the Catholic Church.
Consider this: 1998. Titanic was one of the biggest movies of the year (and of all time). 'The Boy is Mine' by Brandy & Monica spent 13 weeks at Number One in the U.S. Britney Spears released her debut single, Sex and the City first aired on HBO, and Geri left the Spice Girls in a shock decision that happened in the middle of a World tour. The
last single expectant woman was admitted to Bessborough in November of that year, one of 37 admissions in 1998. This isn't the past.
I know that stuff like this doesn't make for easy reading, especially if you or someone you know/love have been affected by the injustices done to these women and children. But we shouldn't turn a blind eye - that's how they got away with it in the first place.
Read it, share it, spread it.
#bessborough
This is non-fiction, and collects the stories of three women affected by their time at the Bessborough institution, or 'Mother and Baby Home' as it was called.
Joan, Terri, and Deirdre all have different stories, with different outcomes, but all three experiences began the same way - with a young woman finding out she was pregnant at a time when nothing caused more scandal in Holy Catholic Ireland than the notion of an unwed mother. Women were sent to these institutions, stripped of their identities, given false names, and put to work until they gave birth. In the majority of circumstances, the babies were taken away and adopted to families without the knowledge or consent of the mothers, who would then be sent back out into society with the shame and stigma of being 'one of those girls' hanging over them. They grieved for their children in silence, many still doing so.
This isn't the past - it's a very recent part of history that still affects thousands of people in Ireland (and further afield) today. Thanks to the tireless work of people like Catherine Corless, Dee Finnerty, Caelainn Hogan and others, we are slowly gathering more and more accounts from the women and children involved in one of the worst scandals this country has ever seen - one not only condoned by, but funded by, the State and the Catholic Church.
Consider this: 1998. Titanic was one of the biggest movies of the year (and of all time). 'The Boy is Mine' by Brandy & Monica spent 13 weeks at Number One in the U.S. Britney Spears released her debut single, Sex and the City first aired on HBO, and Geri left the Spice Girls in a shock decision that happened in the middle of a World tour. The
last single expectant woman was admitted to Bessborough in November of that year, one of 37 admissions in 1998. This isn't the past.
I know that stuff like this doesn't make for easy reading, especially if you or someone you know/love have been affected by the injustices done to these women and children. But we shouldn't turn a blind eye - that's how they got away with it in the first place.
Read it, share it, spread it.
#bessborough