Ireland panel finds systemic failures in mother and baby homes

About 9,000 children died in Irish mother and baby homes. An independent commission found that systemic failures by the Irish state helped produce serious human rights abuses inside them. The findings covered a system that ran from 1922 to 1998 and affected about 56,000 unmarried mothers and about 57,000 children.

The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters was established in February 2015 and examined 18 institutions. Judge Yvonne Murphy chaired the panel. Its final report was submitted on 30 October 2020 and published on 12 January 2021, after public outrage over revelations from Tuam and continuing debate over the role of religious orders in running the homes.

Overall mortality among children in the homes was about 15%, the commission found. The homes investigated included Tuam in County Galway, Bessborough in County Cork, Dublin, and Sean Ross Abbey in County Tipperary.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin responded on 13 January 2021 with a state apology to women and children who had spent time in mother and baby homes and county homes. He said, “The State failed you,” and described the abuse as a profound generational wrong. The government said that apology was the basis for restorative action for survivors and former residents.

The Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, signed into law on 11 July 2023 and opened for applications on 20 March 2024, provided financial payments and health supports for eligible survivors. By April 2024, the first offers of awards and first payments had begun, and some recipients had received enhanced medical cards.

The state later posted dedicated pages for survivors and families on records, legal developments and support services, including the HSE National Counselling Service.