THE MISSING CHILDREN
10:15pm on Tuesday November 9, 2021 RTÉ One
The Missing Children, tells the extraordinary and moving stories of some of the children who survived life at Tuam mother and baby home in Ireland – and the search for the truth about what happened to those who disappeared.
At the notorious institution, run by the Bon Secours nuns, 796 children born to unwed mothers have disappeared. The bodies of some have been found in a sewage tank.
The scandal of Ireland’s mother and baby homes made headline news in January 2021 when the final report from the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation was released.
The report concluded that approximately 9,000 children died in 18 institutions under investigation, and Taoiseach Mícheál Martin apologised and described the events as a ‘dark, difficult and shameful chapter’ of Irish history.
Some of the children kept there still recall the cruelty of the nuns. Others were adopted to America and are only now discovering relations in Ireland and the UK.
Relatives and survivors want access to the files that have so far been kept secret. They want the babies’ remains exhumed and their DNA used to identify each child.
Through the personal narratives of survivors, adoptees, and the women who pieced together the evidence that has shaken Ireland to its core, leading to an unprecedented apology from the Irish state, The Missing Children uncovers the truth of a shocking story which continues to affect the lives of many in Ireland, the US and the UK.
Contributors also include Catherine Corless the historian who helped uncover the scandal, journalist and author Alison O’ Reilly, barrister Dr. Maeve O’ Rourke, columnist and former government advisor Fergus Finlay, archaeologists Dr. Niamh McCullagh, Dr. Linda Lynch, and Aidan Harte who were involved in the test excavation of the site.