Good Shepherd Convent Dunboyne

Elizvonne

Hi ilovemyweedogs and teddybug

It's so sad when you think that babies were taken and not one ounce of support to the birth mothers. I'm in reunion with my son since last year and after initial contact I was all over the place. Having to deal with and accept what we had both went through. I contacted Barnardos and I have to say they were brilliant. They run courses for birthparents and adoptees.

For anyone who is not aware of the services see below:

Barnardos post adoption services offer support to birth parents. They also offer courses to both birth parents and adoptees.

Contact details below

If you would like more information about our Post Adoption Service, please contact us.

Dublin

A: Barnardos Post Adoption Service, 23/24 Buckingham Street, Dublin 1
T: +353 1 813 4100
E: adoption@barnardos.ie

Directions to our centre

Helpline

T: 01 454 6388
(Open 10am - 1pm, every Tuesday & Thursday)

teddybug

hi elizvonne thank you 4 ur conern and the information you supplied , i was never offered counelling ,so i just felt that everyone was on my case untill i signed the adoption papers ,then never heard from anyone again and left to get on with life as if noting happened .but life is never the same after that bcause it changes what u become inside and your never ever the same person again .......

teddybug

To elizvonne ,congrats on ur reunion with your son ,i sincerely hope u have a long and wonderfull relationship with your son you deserve it after all the years you were without him ....

junemay

Just reading on the Irish Independent website 'Woman claims her baby was adopted without her constent'.
A women, whose baby was adopted in the 1970s is suing a religious order (doesn't say which one) and the HSE, claiming her daughter was adopted without her knowledge. she was a teenager at the time.

diabeticmum

Do you have a link? I wouldnt be a bit surprised, they were giving babies away for adoption and getting girls as young as 14 to sign adoption order/ papers without any adult /guardian signature. Under 18 you cant sign a legal document, even back in 60s and 70s.

nowanathiest

junemay wrote: »

Just reading on the Irish Independent website 'Woman claims her baby was adopted without her constent'.
A women, whose baby was adopted in the 1970s is suing a religious order (doesn't say which one) and the HSE, claiming her daughter was adopted without her knowledge. she was a teenager at the time.

Does anyone know which legal firm is dealing with this case please? I will definitely be pursuing a claim if at all possible. I was only 16 when I signed those papers, with no parent or guardian in attendance.

nowanathiest

survived wrote: »

If anyone is interested in getting their records from dunboyne i have just recieved info that the records can be obtained from HSE North Eastern area. Regional Adoption Service, Child and family Centre, Dublin Rd, Drogheda, Co. Louth. I have not contacted them myself yet as im not sure if its a good or bad idea ???? if anyone has already done this id love to hear from them.

I wrote to HSE 2 months ago, requesting a copy of my file, and to date have not received a response or acknowledgement of my letter from them. Has anyone else contacted them and successfully received their file?

The_Conductor

Short summary page with all information anonymised/redacted received. Of general interest, but nothing of substance in it. More a manner of placating me, than actually giving me any information.

junemay

Woman claims her baby was adopted without her consent



31 MAY 2013
A WOMAN who claims her baby was put up for adoption in the 1970s without her permission is entitled to sue for damages even though she is not contesting the adoption order, the High Court ruled.


The woman is suing a religious order and the HSE, as successor to the adoption agency which arranged the placement of her daughter more than 40 years ago, claiming the adoption was done without her knowledge while she was a resident with the order.

She claims she was not even consulted when, as a teen mother, the baby was taken for adoption. She says she suffered psychological harm, among other injuries, due to the defendants' alleged negligence, breach of duty and breach of her constitutional rights.

She also claims fraud and undue influence in relation to documents she allegedly signed by her for the adoption.

The claims are denied.

Mr Justice Sean Ryan, who said the parties, with the exception of the HSE, should not be identified at this stage, described the case as a difficult, sensitive and painful one.

The judge was only dealing with a preliminary issue as to whether she could sue for damages if she was not contesting the validity of the adoption order.

She had no desire to upset the arrangement which had been made for her now adult child but was confining her claim to the alleged wrongs done to her, the judge said.

The defendants had argued she was not entitled to claim damages without first challenging the validity of the adoption order and without also possibly bringing others into the case, such as the child, the adoptive parents and the Adoption Authority of Ireland.

margaret1782

Hi brieda,
I was so sorry to hear that your son has died. That must be gut wrenching. More so if you never had the chance to see him again or hear his voice.
My heart dropped when I read your message.

Kind regards,
Margaret.

margaret1782

Hi June,
I have not met her yet. As she feels it is not the right time. I also know her new christian name that her adopted parents gave her. She is really happy and is studying Law and loves her mum, dad and her two brothers.
I feel it would be very selfish of me to keep going on about wanting to meet her, when she is obviously very happy.
I deserved to be ignored by her, after all I did give her away.I am just so relieved to know, she has had a wonderful life and a mum and dad who love her dearly. They have given her everything. When all I could offer her was my love. I had no family support whatsoever, and if I never get the chance too hold her one last time and let her know, I love her with all my heart and think about her every single day since she was born. I know what I did was for her.

Kind regards,
Margaet

teddybug

i have not met my daughter yet ,its been 30 yrs since i gave her up , but i dont think its selfish 2 want 2 see her , its just human nature .she has written to me 2 say we will have a relationship one day ,so i live in hope from that .i have 3 other grown up children whom would love 2 meet her too .they have always known about her and have seen photos of her which she sent to me .and its just 4 all my kids 2 meet up some day that i hope to live 2 see

margaret1782

Hi,
Thank you so very much for your reply.

I really hope you do meet her, hopefully you can be allowed some sort of relationship with one another and your children can get to know their sister.

Kind regards,

Margaret.

minnie10

Hi I've just seen your post about being able to get records from Drogheda, and wonder if you have done so since putting up this post. Also if you have ever tried to get a copy of your birth cert in IFSC centre records or have you got from Drogheda.

Minnie10

minnie10

I think it sad to hear that some mothers never get to meet or see the children they gave up for adoption, especially if they didn't want to but were forced. My cousin had to give her son up for adoption but managed to trace him. He didn't want to meet her and sadly she passed away without getting to met him.

Being adopted my self I often wonder if it would be the other way round, that my mother wouldn't want to meet me, hence why i haven't tried to make contact.

I wish anyone who gave up a child or children who want to be found are someday reunited.

minnie10

Hi there,

Can you tell my if the home in stamullen was an orphanage? Its just that I have a medical admission form which my adopted mother was given when she got me and I often wondered if I hadn't been adopted at that time, was I going to be sent to stamullen. Was that where some babies were sent while waiting to be adopted or was this a similar home to dunboyne. Would love to know!!

Kleo

minnie10 wrote: »

Hi there,

Can you tell my if the home in stamullen was an orphanage? Its just that I have a medical admission form which my adopted mother was given when she got me and I often wondered if I hadn't been adopted at that time, was I going to be sent to stamullen. Was that where some babies were sent while waiting to be adopted or was this a similar home to dunboyne. Would love to know!!

Hi Minnie... It was both, I was in Dunboyne in the late 70ts and was lucky enough to keep my baby but he spent 6 wks in Stamullen until my parents came round to the idea...if they had not ,he would have been adopted from there...

junemay

Hi Minnie
I applied to the HSE under the Freedom of Information act to get my file from my stay in Dunboyne. It's taken a few months but its now at the post office waiting for me to collect it. I believe that all references to 'third parties' are removed so don't expect any real information but I wanted to have it. As an adopted person, I'm not sure you could access your mothers file as you would be considered the third party. Perhaps check this with the citizens advice
www.citizensinformation.ie

marmer

Hi Minnie,
I'm not sure but I think it is likely that babies from Dunboyne were adopted from Stamullen. I was meant to do my "children's nursing training" in the "children and babies home" Stamullen in 1978 but when i became pregnant Sr Regina (I think) who was matron (?) there gave me details to contact Dunboyne. My post was redirected from there so there was quite a bit of collaboration between the two. I wasn't in Dunboyne long enough to form an opinion on the exact nature of that relationship but it is probable that Stamullen was run by the Good Sheppard order also. Marmer

minnie10

Hi Kleo,

Thanks for that! I was born in May 1975 and adopted in December 1975. I was told that the mother was given this time to change her mind, so that was why it was so long after my birth that the adoption took place.

My adopted mother said that she got me from The Proical House in Dunboyne. I wonder was i actually stayed in Stamullen until the adoption but my parents picked me up in Dunboye as the priest who arranged the adoption for me met my parents there. So can you tell me how long after a baby was born did you get to stay in dunboyne. Like in your case, did you go home while your baby was in stamullen or did you stay in dunboyne? Thanks a million.

minnie10

minnie10

Thanks for that Junemay, I'm delighted for you, that you have finally received something.

Enda63

yvonne macnab, I was there til December 1981, maybe our paths crossed

Kleo

minnie10 wrote: »

Hi Kleo,

Thanks for that! I was born in May 1975 and adopted in December 1975. I was told that the mother was given this time to change her mind, so that was why it was so long after my birth that the adoption took place.

My adopted mother said that she got me from The Proical House in Dunboyne. I wonder was i actually stayed in Stamullen until the adoption but my parents picked me up in Dunboye as the priest who arranged the adoption for me met my parents there. So can you tell me how long after a baby was born did you get to stay in dunboyne. Like in your case, did you go home while your baby was in stamullen or did you stay in dunboyne? Thanks a million.

minnie10

Hi Minnie

In my case I was 3 weeks I'm Dunboyne after my baby was born...then he was taken to Stamullem untill I was able to bring him home..I used to visit him there 2/3 times a week....No baby's were kept in Dunboyne after ther Mothers left as there was no one to take care of them...but I know of I baby who went to Stamullen for a few weeks untill her Mum gave her up for adoption and she was handed over to her new parents in Dunboyne...hope that is some help....
Kleo..

avoncon

it destroyed my life.i didnt have a choice.

Enda63

I wouldn't say it destroyed my life, I didn't have a choice either, but it did have a major effect on most of the choices I made afterwards.

minnie10

Hi Kleo,

Can you tell me were you in Dunboyne in 1975 or later, just as you last wrote that you remember one mother who's daughter was sent to stamullen untill she was adopted and was then adopted from dunboyne. Just sounds so like my story, but no doubt this was a similar story for so many??

martina74

hi i was born in june 1974 BM stayed in Dunboyne she is originally from Monaghan, i have since met and spoken to here a few times but it is always me who is insticating everything i went looking for here and i am the one who phones here. She sends me a xmas card every year but that is it. I am wondering if i am giving her more pain than anything else keeping in contact as i feel she doesnt want to and after reading some of these threads i can understand why she wouldnt want too either. . I would love to get in contact with BF but i have to ask here and the one and only time i tried talking to here about the adoption she closed up and didnt want to speak about it, I dont blame here one bit i have wonderful parents who love and respect me for who i am and even when i got pregnant myself the have helped me through it all and would never swop them for the world but it would be nice to get to know where i came. if anybody can give me any advice i would truely appreciate it

avoncon

i was there .im a wreck.im alone.help

Kleo

Hi Minnie....
Sorry to disappoint you but I was their in late 78/early 79...but dont give up on your search for your BM..every story has a ending, may be not a fairytale ending..but I hope for you ,it is a happy one...

Kleo

avoncon wrote: »

i was there .im a wreck.im alone.help

Hi avoncon,

Please believe me when I say you are not alone..you only have to read the story's here to know that we understand what your feeling ..if I or any one else here can help you in any way please contact me .kleo