Mary Lou McDonald attends Sean Ross Abbey Roscrea commemoration

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald visited Roscrea on Sunday to address a commemoration at the former Mother and Baby Home in Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea.

Survivors of abuse in the former institution and their families from across Ireland, the United Kingdom and United States traveled to Roscrea for the very solemn and poignant commemoration, which was organised by the local group 'We Are Still Here - Sean Ross Survivors' group.

Founder of the group, Teresa Collins gave an emotional address from the steps of the former institution and spoke candidly about the need for further examinations of the site to a large crowd which included local authority representatives and many local people.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald expressed her "great admiration for the incredible dedication and the work that has been done locally to support survivors, adoptees, their families and above all to push for the full truth about what happened here in Sean Ross Abbey and to ensure we never forget what was lost to these children and women."

Describing Teresa Collins as "a powerhouse", Deputy McDonald also thanked Tony Donlan, who owns the St. Anne's campus and has worked closely with survivors to accommodate their need for access to the site for commemorations and potential further scans of the grounds and the Fogarty family for their assistance in organising the memorial.

Pictured on the steps of Corville House - the former Mother and Baby Home at Sean Ross Abbey on the grounds of the St. Anne's campus in Roscrea are Michael Donovan and Teresa Collins from the We Are Still Here group with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Tipperary TD Martin Browne

"Anytime I come to Sean Ross I can feel a heavy stillness in the air - as if the air carries the memories of what we know happened in this place and the weight of all the truth we have yet to uncover. The shadows and stains of cruelty and trauma are like that - they run deep and become indelible and weave themselves into the fabric of the nation, until they are removed from the tapestry  by the light of truth and justice, by the strength of survivors and the healing process of memorial", Ms. McDonald told the attendance.

Ms. McDonald said that "for far too long" those in power in Ireland stonewalled survivors and their families, instead choosing to "hide away from the barbaric truth of the abuse and human right violations that occurred here".

"Denial, suppression and shame were chosen over justice", she said.

"Teenage girls were tied up and abused during labour and women were sent to unpaid work in the local fever hospital and mothers getting to hold their newborn child for only an hour, to have that child stolen away from them.

"Sean Ross Abbey was not a home - it was a place of dominance and control - a place where women and girls were robbed of their lives and where children had the truth of who they were erased and they were trafficked from their mothers. The Angel's Plot bears testimony to the human tragedy of Sean Ross Abbey", she said.

Ms. McDonald said "the journey to truth is far from over '' and called for further investigations to determine the actual number of children buried in the Angel's Plot and on lands adjacent to the site - areas where according to people who lived in the vicinity at the time also contain human remains.

She said the report from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes "let down very many survivors" who are seeking truth that she said "sadly remains in the distance". She urged Minister Roderic O'Gorman, "for the good of survivors", to push ahead with his commitment to allow a human rights expert to examine all testimonies provided to the Commission.

She added that the redress process "must be fair" and that religious institutions must contribute to the redress scheme for survivors - "that is the very least we can expect" she said.

Cathaorileach of Tipperary County Council, Roger Kennedy and Roscrea based County Councillor, Michael Smith also addressed the commemoration and laid a wreath in the Angel's Plot when the gathering moved to the site located close to Corville House.

The Cathaoirleach said that Tipperary County Council will continue to support the implementation of the findings of the enquiry and pledged the local authority will continue to support the survivors group. He said Tipperary County Council has "been ahead of all others in acknowledging the report of the Commission of Inquiry".

The event was also addressed by Patrick McDermott, who was born in Sean Ross and returned for the commemoration from Chicago in the United States. Doves were also released at the Angel's Plot - a symbolic gesture which was very moving.

Emotional return to Roscrea for American Sean Ross adoptee

Speaking afterward, Teresa Collins said Sunday’s event "was a very emotional one. But it also served as a powerful reminder that survivors, their families and their representatives will never stop in our campaign to seek the truth that has been hidden at mother and baby homes across the country – whether that’s through the sourcing of unrecovered records, or scanning land at Sean Ross Abbey to determine the number of children that were buried there.

“More than anything, I want to pay tribute to all those for whom Sean Ross Abbey has left an indelible mark, but whose determination has gotten us so far. With you, we will all continue to seek justice, truth and recognition for those whose voice was silenced for so long.”

Tipperary TD Martin Browne, highlighted the need for further scans at the Angel’s Plot and on adjacent lands: “This is needed so that those who went before us and who have no records to show for their short lives, can be properly accounted for, remembered, and ultimately, memorialised in a way that shows a level of recognition so many were denied within the walls of Sean Ross Abbey and other Mother and Baby Homes.”

Visitors from around Ireland and from the United Kingdom and United States visited the Angel's Plot and local representatives laid wreaths