Sean Ross survivors return to Roscrea to visit Angels Plot burial site

The Roscrea based We Are Still Here survivors group invited people born at the former Sean Ross Mother and Baby Home to return for a small but very poignant gathering on Saturday.

Among the visitors to Roscrea were the newly appointed special advocate for survivors of institutional abuse Patricia Carey, as well as Offaly Sinn Fein County Councillor, Aoife Masterson and people who were born and adopted from Sean Ross and returned from the United States, United Kingdom and across Ireland.

There to greet them and provide a tour of Corville House and the grounds of Sean Ross was Michael Donovan, leader of the We Are Still Here group, which he founded with survivor, Teresa Collins.

Michael Donovan brought the group to the birthing room in the basement of Corville House, as well as the Angels Plot burial ground and the graves of Michael Hess and Sister Hildegard McNulty.

The ruins of Sean Ross Abbey located in the St. Anne's campus in Roscrea. Photo: D. Keegan

In 1952 Philomena Lee gave birth to her son Anthony who she was forced to give up for adoption from Sean Ross. Her son went on to become Michael Hess, chief counsel to the Bush and Reagan administrations and who's story became the film 'Philomena'.

Ms Lee never got to meet her son after he was taken from her aged 2.5-years and adopted in the US. He returned to Roscrea searching to reconnect with his mother and was provided with incorrect information from Sister Hildegarde.

The Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who ran the mother and baby home at Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea accused the filmmakers of being misleading in their portrayal and say the real Sr Hildegarde, who died in 1995 and is buried in Sean Ross, helped many mothers to become reunited with their children.

It is believed locally that Michael Hess paid £20k to be interred in the grounds of Sean Ross Abbey and that no financial record of that transaction was ever kept and that two sets of ledgers for the Mother and Baby Home's accounting numbers were meticulously maintained.

READ MORE: Results from ground scans at Angel's Plot in Roscrea show anomalies

The graves of an unknown number of mothers and babies are located in the unmarked burial site and Michael Donovan explained the latest information relating to further examination of underground anomalies in an adjacent plot of woodland where it is believed further unmarked graves may exist.

At the grave of Michael Hess is leader of the We Are Still Here survivors group, Michael 'Chinny' Donovan from Roscrea who organised the meeting. Photo: D. Keegan

“There are four anomalies which we want examined and the government are refusing to let the work go ahead. Ten percent of the plot was examined in a test dig and we need the rest to proceed”, Mr. Donovan said at the 40x40ft site which requires approximately two-feet deep excavation.

READ MORE: Anomalies detected underground in Roscrea's Angels Plot

Underground scans were performed by private contractors utilising the latest equipment. The geophysical survey was carried out by the same group who uncovered the remains of 796 babies buried in a septic tank in Tuam Co. Galway.

They carried out tests on the Angels Plot in Roscrea on May 9th and discovered what they described as anomalies which are most likely burial sites.

One large anomaly, which is 20-metres long and two-metres wide, runs along the marked perimeter of the burial site and the scans also detected several other smaller anomalies in the Angels Plot.  

Engineers from Limerick were brought into the large site after government funding was approved to carry out the test work in 2023. 

The grave of Sister Hildegarde McNulty and the ruins of Sean Ross Abbey in the background. Photo: D. Keegan

The scanning of the land is a geophysical method of examining the ground by using radar pulses and is a non-intrusive way of surveying underneath the ground for human remains.

1,090 children are believed to have died at Sean Ross Abbey, which was run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary from 1931 to 1969. Their causes of death included heart failure, influenza, marasmus, sun stroke and choking on porridge.

Pictured in the Angels Plot burial ground are leader of the We Are Still Here survivors group Michael Donovan, Therese Masterson, Councillor Aoife Masterson and special advocate for survivors of institutional abuse, Patricia Carey. Photo: D. Keegan