A memorial to the women who gave birth and the infants who died at the county’s only Mother and Baby Home has been unveiled.
On Thursday last, a memorial marking the County Clare Nursery was unveiled at Toler Street in Kilrush by the outgoing Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) in the presence of Chief Executive, Pat Dowling. The memorial includes a sculpture of a mother and baby with the inscription, “Inár gcuimhne go deo/Always remember”.
Following publication of the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes in January of this year, Clare County Council apologised for its role in the County Nursery, which was owned and financed by Clare County Council during its decade of operation, 1922-1932.
It is likely that there were between 300 and 400 mothers there and considerably more children. Figures from the Central Statistics Office detail that 168 ‘illegitimate infants’ died in Co Clare from 1923 to 1932.
A plaque is also to be erected on the original site of the institution on the Cooraclare Rd.
In February, the Council issued a formal apology for its involvement in the Nursery, 89 years on from its closure. On Thursday, Dowling stated, “The unveiling of this memorial signifies our commitment to always remember those who suffered, and those who died, at the County Clare Nursery in Kilrush”.
Speaking in Kilrush, Cllr Howard outlined, “the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, and its findings in relation to the County Nursery, made for very distressing reading. As the Report made clear, Ireland was a cold and harsh environment for many people during the period of operation of the County Nursery, 1922-1932. This was especially so for women, and even more so for women who gave birth outside of marriage – and their children”.
She added, “I believe it is vital that we remember and recognise, in a tangible way, the suffering of both mothers and babies. We dedicate this memorial to the women, children and infants of the County Clare Nursery”.
Clare County Council are to partner with the Department of History at UL to fund a post-doctoral fellowship to allow a greater understanding of what happened in Kilrush. “This fellowship will focus on the identification of key research goals in the historiography of the treatment of women in the public health context in County Clare during the early 20th century,” Dowling confirmed.
He continued, “Clare County Council also reasserts its commitment to work on the identification of documents and records that pertain to the management of the County Nursery. In particular, the Council is examining the archival record and other sources to identify the burial locations of the young children who passed away in this facility. This work is ongoing and further updates will be made when information becomes available”.
