My Name is Bridget: The Untold Story of Bridget Dolan and the Tuam Mother and Baby Home

by Alison O'Reilly

In 1946, twenty-six-year-old Bridget Dolan walked up the path to the front door of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home. Alone and pregnant, she was following in the footsteps of more than a century's worth of lost souls. Shunned by society for her sins and offered no comfort for her pain, Bridget gave birth to a boy, John, who died at the home in a horrendous state of neglect less than two years later. Her second child was once again delivered into the care of the nuns and was taken from her, never to be seen or heard from again.She would go on to marry a wonderful man and have a daughter, Anna Corrigan, but it was only after Bridget's death that Anna discovered she had two brothers her mother had never spoken about. In the aftermath of the explosive revelations that the remains of 796 babies had been found in a septic tank on the site of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home, she became compelled to try and find out if her baby brothers' remains were among them.Here, Anna and Alison O'Reilly piece together the erased chapter of the life of Bridget Dolan and her forgotten sons, reminding us that we must never forget what was done to the women and children of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home.

Genres: Nonfiction, Irish Literature, History, Ireland, Biography, Audiobook, Crime

407 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 20, 2018

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read another book about the baby homes a while ago and heard about this book. I wanted to read it too. It mostly focuses on Bridget Dolan who was in a mothers home and her daughter finding out she had two brothers.It blows my mind that women and children were treated this way. It also wasn't just the Catholic Church, but there were also homes run by the protestant church too. It also didn't happen that long ago either. I remember hearing about the Tuam mass grave and had to learn more. My heart breaks for all the people who have been hurt because of this.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this on audio and I thought the narration was exceptional. It was so impactful, and written from the heart. These stories need to be told, it still astounds me how widespread the abuse and cover up was in these homes, so many families destroyed by it. I definitely won’t forget this book.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to keep taking breaks from the anger and sadness in this book. The way the mothers and children were treated was heinous and has created generations of trauma.
As someone who went through years of fertility issues I can’t wrap my head around how my daughter was deemed as “special” before she was even born - because she was so wanted yet these beautiful, innocent, babies were disposable. There is no difference in the innocence and potential of a child regardless of its entrance into the world.
The self righteousness and judgement from the church was an incredibly unchristian element in all of this. The shame they thrust onto the women and their families defies logic.
A book I’ll never forget.

[Kevin Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard do this book justice in a very short review. It is centrally about one woman’s story which is directly tied to the whereabouts of 796 unaccounted for babies and children who are presumed to been dumped (by the Bon Secours Order of Nuns) into a septic tank on the site of the old Tuam Mother and Baby home in Galway. Yes, you read that right, ‘dumped in a septic tank’! Extraordinary, unbelievable. Is this our Ireland, really? Full credit to journalist Alison O’Reilly for her stellar work in bringing out into the open most of the many issues that are linked in with what happened in Tuam. These include the illegal trafficking of babies to the United States for money/ profit by the Catholic Church. Also, at issue are the whereabouts of a number of missing women/ mothers who had the misfortune to end up in Tuam. At the centre of the narrative however is the amazing story of Bridget’s daughter, Anna Corrigan, and her fight to get justice for her family and those linked to what happened at Tuam. I don’t really agree with this sort of thing, but this book probably should be mandatory reading in Ireland. One last thing, of course, is that this book isn’t finished. The families of those involved are seeking to have site of the dumping of all these human remains fully and forensically investigated. They want the Irish state to do what it can to identify the remains, have then reburied and them properly and fully memorialised. It is the very least that should be done.

[Joy Corkery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heartbreaking piece of Irish history is well told by the author. It’s told first from a factual point of view of what happened, as well as Bridget’s story, and then through the stories of some of the survivors. This is a book that will be triggering for some, so ease into it with caution.

[Judie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story but, spoiler alert, the results of the investigation were still unknown at the completion of this book. It is a horrific story of emotional abuse and cruel neglect of the unwed mothers and their children who entered Tuam Mother and Baby Home, and the many other such homes in 20th century Ireland.

[Annaliese Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this one. Maybe because I've watched a documentary series on the Tuam home and sadly know how it will end (at least for now, in 2022 with investigations etc still ongoing). Mostly, I couldn't deal with the constant repeat of information within chapters, sometimes only small details.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartbreaking but extremely important read that lays bare the darkest, most appalling chapter of independent Ireland’s history.

I grew up very near the site of a mother and baby home, but by the time I was born, the theocracy where the Church had absolute, incontrovertible control over every aspect of Irish society was rapidly unravelling, which makes the shame-industrial complex that led to the mass incarceration and forced adoption of so many unmarried mothers and their babies all the more shocking, harrowing and utterly devastating to read about.

The first-hand accounts and experiential testimonies from survivors really drive home just how much lasting, intergenerational damage these callous institutions have caused so many, the reverberations of which are still being felt by those left behind today.

One particular quote from a survivor summing up this lifelong impact really stuck with me and brought a tear to my eye: “I think when you are abused, it is very hard for you in later life, you have very little confidence. I always believed I would never become anything.”

There was a lot of heavily repeated information and anecdotes - for example, “Legislation in Ireland favours the birth mother” was mentioned at least four or five times - and I got the impression that the author may have been trying to pad out the book a bit.

Overall, this is a poignant and supremely necessary read I’d encourage absolutely everyone to pick up if they are in the right mental headspace to do so.

[Aoife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Bridget died, Anna didn’t know her mother’s secret past or anything about her two brothers. Only on a hunch when she was enquiring about her fathers past in an industrial school, she mentioned her mother and unravelled a story of heartache, torment, systemic abuse, secrecy, shame, premature deaths, falsified death certs and illegal adoptions.

This story primarily talks about the discovery of the human remains and the unearthing of this horrendous crime. It captures the survivors stories, both the mothers and the babies and how they fight for justice, birth certs and their medical history.

Anna, like her mother fell pregnant before marriage, but in no ways was her life comparable. She wasn’t sent away, her mother helped her and at no point did she confide in her of what happened to her. There was no begrudging, this is Anna’s attempts to come to terms with this guilt, this lost confession and her lost siblings.

[Shauna Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t have any criticism of this book apart from I want to know so much more about poor bridget and felt sad when her story wasn’t told by herself there is masses of information in this book and no doubt I’ve forgotten some of it and will read again sometime it’s amazing the amount of effort and research being done to bring justice to the little tuam babies I never thought I’d ever feel ashamed to be a catholic until I read this book the nuns we’re veil pure and simple and there’s no excuse for the way they treated women and there babies

[Margaux Mannessier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a mix between the story of Bridget and the on-going truth quest of her daughter Anna; an history of the Tuam babies scandal and its current issues, and a recollection of testimonials from the homes survivors.
The form might be derouting from time to time, but it shows well why this episode of Irish history has be adressed, and reminds us to stay attentive to what may happen in today's world "for te greatest good".
This is not a light reading, but a necessary one.

[Patricija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the book but as someone who usually reads fiction I don’t know if I liked the amount of dates and such factual information thrown at me. As the story went on it got quick repetitive. First half of the book was amazing and I couldn’t put it down but once I knew all the facts it was a bit draining.
All in all, highly recommend to anyone, it was easy to read and follow along. The stories involved are devastating and eye opening.

[Suzie Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catholics homes and work houses in Ireland

796 babies of unwed mothers throw in a septic tank, covered over with dirt and hidden for years before kids playing on the grounds fell through part of the rotted structure discovering skulls of dead babies. Put there by the nuns that were supposed to be caring for these innocent babies. Sickening but a true story and a massive cover up by the Catholic church..

[Aoiffe Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The heartbreaking and utterly harrowing story of what the Irish state allowed to happen to irish women and children at the hands of those that were supposed to mind and nurture them. It also outlines the policy of a continued cover up and the misinformation still being pursued by the religious orders involved

[Karen Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart wrenching

I broke down in tears throughout this book, I cant believe the evil of people to mothers and babies. I do hope you all get the answers you deserve. My heart goes out to you all.

[Antoinette Nasky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart breaking!

The history of fjelt



The history of this travesty is something everyone Catholic or non should read and pray that it will never happen again.











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[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrowing. I think some parts were hard to follow in the way it was written. But it was an insightful portrayal of some dark times.

[Liz mogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read, heartbreaking story and very well written

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely heart breaking read, it makes me almost ashamed to say I am Irish.

[Rosaleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

More horror stories about the shameful way Woman and Children were treated in Ireland in the past. Feeling angry and upset now but it’s important we should know the truth, least we forget.

[Trina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very well written. I found it a bit hard to read. The story is hard to hear.

[patrick mooney]

Shocking to hear Ireland had it's own version of slavery.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written but so sad.

[mindy grainger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a hard topic to read about but well worth the read. Shocking to think that this sort of thing was sanctioned under the guise of a "caring" system

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very difficult but important read

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very moving and well written book

[Aisling O Riordan Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme of the book is heartbreaking and so sad.
The writing however is slow and repetitive

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

sad and so true, i think last book of this year, but you never know =D

[Rebalioness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Get the audio book. Makes a lot more impact to hear it with an Irish accent