03.04.2014
Bethany Memorial Unveiled in Mount Jerome
A memorial stone dedicated to the children who died in the Bethany Home between 1922 and 1949 was unveiled in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, yesterday, April 2.
The ceremony took place after a service, led by Canon Mark Gardner, which was attended by Labour Deputy Robert Dowds, representing Minister of State Joe Costello, the Northern Executive’s Danny Kennedy, Lord Mayor of Dublin Oisín Quinn, the Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Council, Carrie Smyth, and Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald. Representatives of the main Protestant denominations were present as well as a representative of the Roman Catholic Church.
In his short address Canon Gardner said that on Mother’s Day he had observed that mothers no longer had to suffer the shame of giving birth in these homes and that children no longer had to be divided from their parents and siblings.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin said that people could be proud of the memorial but that pride was subdued because of the length of time it had taken to erect it. He commended the strength and determination of Bethany survivor, Derek Leinster, in leading the campaign for the memorial. “We’re here to remember them first and foremost because they were destined to be forgotten,” he said adding that in Irish society of old, young women were “prisoners of prejudice and fear”.
Speaking on behalf of Minister Costello, Deputy Dowds also paid tribute to Derek Leinster for his campaign for State recognition of its role in Bethany Home. Deputy McDonald praised the “sheer heroism and stamina” of the survivors of Bethany Home. “Our journey is not over and it is now way past time for the State to recognise, apologise and offer redress to the survivors of Bethany Home,” she stated.
Pamela Dooley of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (NI) and Rachel Doyle of the National Women’s Council also spoke in support of the survivors’ campaign for State recognition. Danny Kennedy said that what happened in mother and baby homes was not known to the people who donated money to support homes like Bethany and added that it should be the prayer of those attending that no mother or family should suffer again as a result of this type of misguided care.
Niall Meehan, the college lecturer who discovered that the infants and children were buried in Mount Jerome, said that the best outcome for the day would be that the children would gain a family. He said that the names of the children were inscribed on the stone and would be available online to enable people to discover their relatives.
Derek Leinster described the Bethany Memorial Day as the day that the infants never had. “They didn’t want much, just to be treated the same as their fellow Irish citizens. This day is because there was a line drawn which they fell into. They had no decision where that line fell but they paid a terrible price, as did the survivors,” he said. He called on the Taoiseach to apologise to the survivors of Bethany.
The organ was played by Colleen Anderson who was adopted from Westbank Home and who urged people not to forget what had happened. The memorial stone was designed by Daniel Mulvihill and the names of the 222 infants and children who died are inscribed on it. It was funded by the Department of Justice and the ribbon was cut by Deputy McDonald, Rachel Doyle, Pamela Dooley, Carol Leinster, Noleen Belton, Rosemary Dalton, Elsie Hartford, Colleen Anderson and Anne Speed.
Photo caption: Canon Mark Gardner dedicates the Bethany Memorial surrounded by supporters of the Bethany Survivors Group. Derek Leinster is pictured beside Canon Gardner.